To subdivide the pages further, fold end 1 to foldline B, creating foldline D, The paper is opened flat again and end 2 is folded in to meet foldline A, creating fold C. To create fold B, end 1 is folded in to meet foldline A. The paper is opened flat after each fold. This method starts off with the same fold as Keith Smith’s version by folding end 1 to meet end 2, creating fold A. Some origami structures, particularly tessellations (you can read about making one here), require making multiple parallel folds as the starting point for the work.
Here are Keith Smith’s instructions for the accurate folding of an accordion. (If you don’t already own a copy I suggest you get one. Smith’s Volume I Non-Adhesive Binding has become a ‘bible’ for beginning book artists, and rightly so. Method Number Two: The Oriental Fold Book from Keith Smith It’s adequate for the rosette she is making, but not for a book.) I do not recommend this method, but feel free to try it in case you are one of the rare individuals who can make this method work! (If you aren’t sure how this fold works, watch this video of someone folding a rather uneven accordion. I have never been able to do this without the accordion developing a gradual lean or getting wider or both. It continues by folding back and forth for the length of your paper, attempting to match each new fold to a previous fold.
The end-to-end fold starts like this: make a fold the width of the page you want. I was frequently asked “What’s the Right Way?” I would answer “The one that works for you.” This holds true for folding accordions as well. When I taught weaving I always tried to offer students several alternative ways of doing things. (There will be more methods shown on Day Three, December 3.) Some methods will work better for you than others.
Today’s post will look at three different techniques. It can be, however, quite difficult to fold a perfectly even accordion. It can be used on its own or as a support for other structures, and is probably one of the most-used forms in non-adhesive binding. One of the easiest-looking book forms is the accordion (or concertina or leporello, depending on where you live). (If you are looking for more ‘seasonal’ projects, check the links at the end of this post.) This year the theme is “Simple, Occasionally Unusual, and Mostly Non-adhesive Structures for Artists’ Books”. Welcome to the first post in the Byopia Press Advent Calendar for 2021.