To reduce further frustration

Funny timing, because last night I was despairing about how completely computer-y things have taken over our lives. But here I am, back on the damn thing, trying to outline this simple but hard sewing kit (and it's only one of several options). THIS IS THE KEY: It's made in thirds!

Instead of basic origami that I was used to, which always folds easily into halves and quarters, this dastardly thing is not a pinwheel. I fold the two big diagonals (both valley folds) and then do the grid by eye to make nine squares total. [In grad school, a guest teacher told us she'd show us a trick for how to fold a piece of paper perfectly into thirds. High anticipation, b/c this had eluded me for years. She said to fold a piece of paper into perfect quarters, and then cut off one quarter. Though it certainly works, I don't like tricks that leave me with scraps. So I still eyeball it, and since I'm already using uneven handmade paper, I don't mind that the final bit is not perfectly square.]

Then the steps go a corner at a time, so you repeat the same thing 4x. Pinch one corner and tuck the rectangle down and under it so that it sticks up into a point.

I don't think these images help much but they show the second point, going clockwise.

These images get even more confusing, as you go around to the third and fourth points. There are pre-creases you can make to help guide the folds that become the diagonals inside the square, and these instructions are much clearer than mine. The last one is the one where it all starts to come together if you let it.

Then the fun part: fold all the points in, going clockwise (you can go counterclockwise, too, as long as the points go in a circle consecutively). The last point tucks into the first one.

Done! To make sure you (or whomever gets it now) can put it back together, it helps to draw onto the outer and inner squares in a way that makes it obvious how it sits on itself. Though I can tell you from experience that it's entirely possible to end up folding it not quite right even while following the marks.