Origami Squash Fold

The Origami Squash Fold is a very common fold and you'll hear it mentioned many times in this site. Maybe you don't know how to make a squash fold or there's a good chance that you've already made this fold before and just didn't know that it's called a squash fold.

What is a squash fold? Basically, it is when you pry open the paper slightly, then press and flatten the paper to make the fold.

Below are pictures of squash folds that for some of the origami models on this site.

Squash Fold Example 1: This is an example from making a square base . We fold the large triangle in half, then bring the flap back to the right. Pry open the paper then squash or flatten it down.

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Flip paper over. Bring flap from right to left, open it slightly, press and flatten.

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Origami Squash Fold Example 2: This was from making a waterbomb base . Here you have a small square. Bring the top flap over, pry open paper and flatten to make a squash fold.

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Squash Fold Example 3: This was from an easy origami frog . Here we start off with a triangle or diaper fold. Bring right side to the center crease, pry open the paper then squash it down. Notice that this is not a symmetrical squash fold.

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Origami Squash Fold Example 4: This is a great example from the origami star box . Here we fold the top flap over to the center crease, then pry open the paper and press it down to form the squash fold.

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Origami Squash Fold Example 5: Finally, this was from an easy origami polar bear. We fold about 1 inch of the paper to the left, crease, then bring it back slightly, open the paper and press down the paper to form the squash fold.

Hope all these photos help!