Basic Card Folds

I've been asked by a few people now to create a post about basic Card Folds.  Sometimes it's also useful to revisit the basics, even if they're not new to us, in order to get a fresh perspective or learn a new way of doing one of your 'go to' folds.

So I'd like to take a look at standard sizes (in the UK, for now) tent fold, fold back, z fold, easel, gatefold and wallet fold. All of these can be adapted and added to other types of folds and will form the basic principles of many more complex cards.

To begin with, most pre scored card blanks come in 6x4", 5x7" or 8x10" (standard sizes for photo prints).  Often times card blank packs will also include 6x6" and 8x8"card blanks and these work very nicely with the increasingly popular 6x6" and 8x8" patterned paper pads.  Also common are A5 (half of A4) and A6 cards (half of A5).   The below photo shows 3 of these common sizes: 6x4, 5x7 and 6x6, all stood in a portrait orientation.  

Equally, for a landscape style, or what's sometimes known as a basic tent fold, simply turn them on their long side, as below:

Now that's the basic sizes out of the way, let's look at our first fold; the fold-back card.  Very simple and very effective, simply fold the front of your card back on itself (really only works in portrait) and voila;

And here's an example of a fold back card decorated ;

There's room inside to write a personal greeting but when it stands up it's a striking card shape that'll look great on any mantlepiece from various angles. 

But the basic fold back can be elevated to something quite special with just a chop, flip and stick... 

For example, take a 5x7" card base, create a fold back card, then chop 2" off the top like so... 

Now take that 2" strip, flip it over 180° then stick it to the main card base like so... 

This is one of my absolute faves for a card base as it looks so unique and complicated once decorated but is super simple to make.  Here's a couple of examples of this base decorated. 

Next up, easels.  An easel card is pretty simple too but can be made to look so pretty and complex it's sure to wow papercrafters and non crafters alike. 

For a standard easel, take your card base and fold the top of your card in half, in on itself (rather than back on itself as above) ;

Next, place glue on the free half flap you just folded (not the half attached to the rest of the card) and add a single piece of card the same size as your base (ie 6x6 or 5x7)to the glue flap.  Typically, easel cards also have some kind of 'stopper' on the base that they can stand up against.  See below;

the photo below shows the whole easel card folded flat ready for an envelope. 

You can also make a twisted easel in the same way.  This time instead of folding the top of your card in a straight line across the front, fold it diagonally, then repeat the above process; glue the flap then add a piece of card the same size as your overall card base... 

And here's an example of a decorated twisted easel. 

You can also combine easels and have a double or triple easel card, these can be standard, twisted or a combination of both... 

In the example above, the middle easel is standard and the two either side are twisted into the centre.  The whole card folds flat to fit into a custom made envelope.  Tutorial for this in a future post. 

Next, a gatefold card.  These can really be made any size and are super adaptable for use with dies like the Gemini edgeables range.    For more information on this amazing range of stunning dies and some brilliant ideas of how to use them, check out this edgeables blog post on the CC website. 

The basic fold is super simple.  Take any rectangle of cardstock and divide the length by 4.  Then score in at each end by that amount (eg, a 10" length of cardstock should be scored at 2.5" in from each end) 

So, for example, let's make a gatefold card that will fit in a 6x6 envelope.  Take a piece of A4 cardstock and cut it lengthways at 6" and then take 1/4" off one short end. This should leave you with a piece that's 6" x 11".   Now, score and fold at 2 3/4" in from each end. You should have something that looks a little like this... 

The two 'gates' at the front meet in the middle, making the card fold flat. And, at 6" x 5 1/2", it'll go into a standard 6x6 envelope nicely. 

Here's some examples of a finished gatefold including a couple from the CC blog to demonstrate what the edgeables can do to elevate this card base. 

The secret message card above is a great example of how a basic card fold like a gatefold can be added to or adapted to create something that looks much more complex, but is very very easy to make.  Check out my blog post on this card for the full tutorial. 

The two above are from the CC blog and show just how versatile this card base be.

Finally, a wallet fold or gift card fold as its sometimes referred to.  The best way to make this is to score an A4 sheet of cardstock at 5" and 10" across the width of the piece.  I also tend to chop the card down 6" wide by the standard 11 3/4" long so it again fits nicely in a 6x6 envelope.

I love this fold for how much can be done with it; stick a gift card inside, some memorable photos, a hand written letter, or even make it a little smaller and fit a small post-it note pad in there.  Add a couple of craft magnets or hook and loop / Velcro dots to the flap and front of the card (or tie some ribbon around it) and you've got a mega cheap, super last minute gift for someone who absolutely loves their stationary.

Alternatively, you could follow the tutorial on my blog post and make a pop up origami gift bag to go inside for a cute card and gift all in one.

So that's it for this week, I'll be revisiting card folds in a few weeks time with some more complex folds and construction bases.  

Coming up in the next few weeks, the inifity card! Plus a whole week's worth of daily advent calendar makes in one blog post. If you haven't heard of crafter's Companion's crafty advent calender than take a look at this!  I'll be opening a new door every day in December and blogging regularly about what I've made with each element.

Until then, take care and happy crafting x