To test out the instructional hand-outs that I create I try to enlist the help of the people who might actually use them. I offered my How to Make an Origami Pocket handout to my nine-year old friend Kyra. The next day Kyra’s mom informed me that her daughter was making one after the other, with no parental help.
I had to go take a look at her work. She had made the pockets out of various papers around the house, some of which were lovely, exotic papers. Most of the pieces she started with were about 12″square. In the photo above she laced a cord through the upper edge of the pocket, so that the pocket hangs. The is the pocket that she is letting me keep. I am honored! The rest I borrowed to photograph. Thank you Kyra!
Inspired by Kyra, I made a few pockets of my own to post here.
The pocket on the left is made with two sheets of construction paper, pockets made, then nested together. I cut out some shapes on the pink piece so that the red will show through in a decorative way. I then glued the cut pieces on to the red for more decoration. The blue pocket is made with 24lb copy paper with other papers glued on. The little cup is made from a page of a National Geographic magazine that was in the recycle bin. When using recycled materials I like to find images that I like the look of before I transform them.
Since colorful papers are not always available, here are a few models that are made from paper then is generally more available. The pocket on the left is made with standard white copy paper. Notice that it makes a perfect size pocket to hold CDs. The pocket on the right is made from wide-ruled notebook paper: I like how the lines provide a structure for decoration.
At the edge of our garden my husband pointed out some giant burdock leaves that appear to be mocking our efforts at civilizaton. Just to be silly, I picked one of these leaves and made a pocket. Maybe I will remember to do this is I am ever out foraging and need to fill a cup with something (like water?).
Playful Bookbinding and Paper Works 
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