Small pieces of fabric can be incorporated into designs for handmade cards and scrapbook pages. In addition, there is a craft called "Iris Folding". It involves simply folding small pieces of fabric or paper. You start with a pattern that shows the order of the folds. You decide upon what colors and patterns of fabric you want to use. Then you just follow the pattern.

The lines on the pattern indicate where to place your strips of paper, the numbers indicate the order that the strips are placed, and the pattern instructions tell you where to place each different colored paper, such as Pattern/Color A: 1,5,9,13,17... Pattern/Color B: 2,6,10,14,18...

The craft of iris folding originated in Holland, The completed pattern was thought to resemble the iris or lens of a camera.

For more information, instructions and examples of iris folding, visit http://www.origami-resource-center.com/iris-folding.html. Also, do a search for "iris folding" and visit a few of the search results.

Paula