Iris Fold Tutorial

I’m delighted to share my twist on traditional iris folding techniques with some contemporary designs and ideas! Sadly, you rarely hear or read about iris folding in modern cardmaking as it has a reputation of being old-fashioned, but I’m here to change that! Iris folding remains one of my favourite techniques for many reasons, it’s ideal for budget-savvy crafters, as all you need is patterned paper and a bone folder. It’s a technique which produces stunning results every time, whether you choose a simple design or a more intricate template. Once you master this classic technique, you can achieve basic designs in no time – perfect for last minute makes!

The method of iris folding involves building a multi-layered pattern with paper strips. The centre resembles the iris of a camera and this is usually achieved by covering the aperture with holographic paper. I recommend starting with basic shapes such as triangles, circles, squares or stars which can be easily die-cut. Get started by searching for free templates online, and as you grow in confidence you can graduate to more challenging designs. Craftsuprint have a great range of more advanced iris folding template, which require intricate cutting.

Paper strips are secured onto the reverse of the panel, if your aperture is an asymmetrical shape, you will need to draw the mirror image on the front. The next stage is to flip the panel over, place it on top of your template and secure it with low-tack tape on one side to keep the template in place.

This hinge will allow you to flip the panel over to see the design developing on the front, to check if all strips are correctly placed without any gaps and that no tape is visible. Iris folding is usually done with different colours or papers within one design. If you work with patterned papers, it can be tricky to achieve the right balance. All colours need to coordinate and busy patterns can distract and take the focus off the iris folding. For this reason, I have chosen to stick to one colourway for most of the designs in this feature. This should make the tutorial easier to follow as you only need to concentrate on the order in which to place the strips.

When it comes to mounting the iris folding onto your card front, I recommend using 3D foam pads as the designs can be quite chunky. So, give it a try and amaze your loved ones with some unique and beautifully handcrafted greeting cards!

Place the die onto a white panel where you want the aperture to be, arrange the other elements around it to see what the final design will look like

Turn the die-cut panel over, place it onto the iris folding template and secure it with tape on the right side. Cut, score and fold 2.5cm wide paper strips

Follow the numbers on the template from low to high, place the paper strips within the lines of each number and secure the ends with clear tape