Interior Folds, part 1

 In an earlier post I demonstrated how to do a basic book fold.  That is great if you are doing a simple shape like a heart or a star, but what if you are doing a more complex shape like this double heart?  You need to do an internal fold.  

There are two kinds of internal folds (really three but more about that in another post). This post will show the simplest: the triangle fold.

Triangular Internal Folds

The simplest internal fold is made by making a single cut and folding both sides of the cut outward.  This is the kind of cut used for the double heart pattern. I have used a solid line to indicate where these cuts are to be made. 

Making the Cut

Make an additional mark where the solid line touches the page.

• Use scissors to snip into the page perpendicular to the outer edge.
• Snip depth can vary:
• Deeper snips create a more dramatic contrast.
• Shallower snips result in a more subtle effect
• Typical depth: 1–2 cm.

 Tip: Snip to the margin, stopping at the edge of the print to avoid having to measure each time.

Folding the Flap

After snipping:

• Fold the top flap upward at the mark for the top internal fold.
• Fold the bottom flap downward at the mark for the bottom internal fold.(See picture for visual reference.)
• If the internal fold is too narrow to fold both flaps.
• Snip at the top fold point only.
• Fold just the bottom flap at the bottom fold point.