Recursive origami used to be something that I did on a regular basis. Long before I discovered origami tessellations, recursive origami was what I did.  Recursive origami is similar to tessellations in that they're both a repeating pattern that can, in theory, go on infinitely. But while tessellations repeat along the x and y axes, recursive designs repeat along the z axis.  Shuzo Fujimoto was a famous recursive origami designer. Some of his most famous creations are the clover and the hydrangea.  Some origamists even took it a step further with what are known as high density recursive designs. Repeating the single layered model multiple times on a single sheet of paper.  For some reason that I don't understand the technique for folding the hydrangea has stayed firmly planted in my brain. Even years later, I still remember all the steps.  I also remember that it can be done at higher densities. I first encountered this idea at a website called. origamitutorials.com. But I had

 The tessellation that I folded prior to this one is what gave me the idea for this. I just kind of flipped things around and worked out how it would all fit together.  It took a lot triangles to construct. A. Lot. Of. Triangles.  Flagstone tessellations are generally very triangle intensive. This design is no exception.  The layout feels very familiar, but I searched and searched to see if I'd done it before based on someone else's idea and I couldn't find anything.  It's open back hexagons surrounded by trapezoids. That central idea repeats. There are some top-side triangles in order to make it a flat fold.  It's not the best time of year for folding flagstone tessellations. It's hot and humid. But inspiration is impatient. There are many triangles required on the reverse side. I knew there would be triangles needed on the back side, but I didn't anticipate needing quite so many of them during my initial conception of it.  But no worries, they were not shy

 When I first started folding flagstone origami tessellation I did so using crease patterns generously offered to the internet by their respective creators. Peter Keller and Robin Scholz were the primary designers whose creations I folded.  In the beginning, it seemed so mystifying. How they'd arrive at the structure. How to execute the structure.  But it didn't take too long to understand how it worked and how to solve them and sometimes even create them.  In this case, I solved one. I saw a post by @kerstin.origami on instagram. She had folded a flagstone by @valleyfolder (Peter Keller). I liked it enough to give it a try.  The thing about flagstones is that once you understand the architecture, they're actually very easy to solve.  All the shapes are easily visible and how to connect them is a very straight forward process. Flagstones, are however, very labor intensive to actually fold. There are a lot of creases and there is a lot of coaxing involved.  But the finished

 It was about time I tried to solve  someone else's tessellation again. So I saw a really interesting one by gatheringfolds on instagram. It's half hexagon and triangle twists. The front and back are mirror images of each other.  She named it Woven Strips.  The linear design style felt fresh and new.  It's a pretty easy to execute configuration. Nicely spaced. But this particular layout is something I really haven't come across before.  I especially  like how there are those step like parallelograms. They are the result of folding the mirror half hexagons (or trapezoids) on the other side.  20 lb copy paper was perfect for this. 

Came up with this configuration just screwing around with rhombus twists. When I first started mapping it out, I wasn't sure exactly where I could go with it, but I was sure I could take it somewhere meaningful. A little more fiddling later and the pattern coalesced.  It's rhombus twists around a hexagon, but they are a little different in that they overlap one another. Thus creating a different repeating pattern.  In order to flatly repeat the central idea, some triangle twists were necessary. From there, it was the simple matter of execution.  It was only mildly tricky to fold.  Thin paper worked just fine. 

I posted a tessellation a little while back that I called Hexagon Kisses Tessellation . It was a variation on a design by Arseniy K. This is a new variation on that idea. It compactifies the structure for a different finished product.  I've always been partial to denser designs for some reason. So that inspired this modification.  It's actually an idea I had a while back (before I'd encountered his) that for reasons I no longer recall, never came to fruition.  This time around it worked out just fine. It came together rather quickly and without much fuss at all.  The idea is simply hexagons with rectangles. To make the collapse work there are double width triangles. The corners of the hexagons fold over onto the points of the triangles.  I used 28 lb. paper. 

 This tessellation is what I call a natural one. Meaning there are no extra creases. Just those of the triangle grid itself. There are many interesting shapes and arrangements to be found even without cross creasing.  This kind of tessellation is a little less challenging. Once you fold the grid there are no additional creases required. The paper is also a little more receptive to being collapsed because of this.  When I conceived of this design I originally envisioned the second pic as the front of the design.  However, when I took the photos, I decided the other side would be the front.  The original inspiration was to have those wings off the central hexes create angular star shapes. But when I saw the other side of the design I thought it was much more intriguing.  Both sides are interesting in their own right.  I used pretty thin paper. 20 lb. copy paper. It worked out fine. 

 This tessellation builds off of my previous 'Collapsing Daisies' design. Where 'Collapsing Daisies' was just straight repetitions of elongated rhombus shapes, this one throws some straight edges and triangles into the mix.  It's a concept I came up with for flat folding shapes that don't naturally flat fold using classic twist techniques.  The collapse is dense and not easy to execute, but it offers the ability to do flat folds with shapes that you otherwise could not.  Crease pattern follows. 

 When I'm stuck for a new idea of my own, I'll usually just try to figure out how to fold someone else's. In this case I went with another one by Madonna Yoder @gatheringfolds.  Her designs are both beautiful and accessible. They provide some challenge, but not so much as to be frustrating.  I think she called this one shrinking violets. A pretty cool title for sure.  The concept of small hexagons on one side and larger open back hexagons on the other side is an intriguing one.  I kind thought of the same idea on my own, but never got to the point of creation.  Laziness prevailed, and instead, I just reverse engineered hers.  It's a lot easier to figure out someone else's finished idea than it is to fully realize your own concept.  On the plus side, I have found, that figuring out other origami designer's models provides inspiration for new ideas.  But for the time being, I have folded hers.  We'll have to see what comes next.

 This is a tessellation that I did several years ago. Looking back, I decided to give it another try. Just to see if I could improve upon the original execution.  Small hex twists on the back side and open back triangle twists.  It's an interesting weave pattern.  I tried a different backlight technique.  Used a lamp instead of a window.  It's a pretty basic idea, but I like the pattern.  It definitely came out better the second time around.  Crease pattern is below.  It's not complicated, so I just used ordinary copy paper. 

 This is a natural hexagon tessellation. All the folds follow the triangle grid.  I haven't come across a lot of tessellations of this nature. Or any really, other than my own.  They are a little simpler to fold than some, but they are not easy or for beginners.  The finished product is as interesting as any I've seen.  The actual execution process is more about working with paper curling up on itself than coaxing unnatural configurations.  I love all kinds of origami tessellations. They are all wonderful and interesting in their own right.  But these natural tessellations are more than worth exploring. 

 This is a tessellation idea that I had a while back, but hadn't brought to fruition. But at last, I've made it a reality.  It's open back hexagon twists with tilted rectangles nestled against their edges. On the reverse side there are 1.5 triangle twists. By 1.5, I mean the triangle twist that exists between a single pleat twist and a double pleat twist.  It photographed much more impressively than I thought it would.  It was kind of a pain in the ass to fold. Probably more so because it's spring/summer where I am. Origami is easier in the cold months. The paper is so much more cooperative and resilient.  But inspiration cannot be quelled by the weather. 

  Looking back over tessellations that I had folded years ago, I came across one by Lydia Diard that I did in 2018. Back when I was stull new to origami tessellations I followed her flickr and learned a lot.  While I was successful in understanding the structure of the design, it was pretty poorly executed. I also did not save any crease pattern or hint at how it was done. Arg! This led me to try to figure it out all over again. It was actually a little harder this time around because I'm not really familiar with her folding style anymore, like I was back then.  Nevertheless, experience with many different designers and styles was enough to carry me through to solving it for a second time.  It's a fiddly little folds design at which I do not particularly excel, but I forged ahead all the same.  This time I created a crease pattern with basic flow instructions. It's not really a fold that can be expressed fully in just a crease pattern. So I added some notes as well.  The gi

This is a tessellation by Arseniy K @arsenikoom that I solved. His version had more distance between repeats. It also featured a some rectangles joined by a triangle.  I chose to just do a straight up repeat of his central module. Firstly, because it would repeat better on a 32 pleat grid. I don't use paper that allows for larger grids. Even 32 pleats is pushing it with the paper I use. All my origami tessellations are folded with ordinary 8.5 x 11 printer paper. I use 20, 24 and 28 lb. papers, depending on the design and the time of year. 20 lb. paper works fine in winter, but not so well during summer months. Occasionally I use kraft paper. But kraft paper is difficult to fold because it's so thick. It also doesn't backlight well at all.  Back in the day, I used to just fold a triangle grid on the rectangular paper without trimming it. Nowadays I stick with trimming it down to a hexagon. It makes it quicker to fold the initial grid. It also makes it easier for my stubby f

 I came up with this tessellation just fiddling around with collapsing triangles around an open back hexagon.  I remember having the idea to do this technique using regular rhombus shapes, but I have yet to follow through on it.  For whatever reason, this elongated shape compelled me to finish the idea and complete the fold.  There are no twists in this tessellation. It's all collapses.  The central collapse is a bit tricky. If you look at the crease pattern there are triangles up against the central hexagons that have to be mountain folded toward the center of the hexes. Similar to how the triangles are folded over the central square in a Fujimoto clover.   The  outer triangles are pinched closed.  The funny thing is, I often struggle the most with my own designs.  Often finding it easier to execute the creations of others.