The subtitle for this post is: "How to make giftcards look a bit less impersonal but let me ramble a bit first."The Diagonal Pocket is one of the many interesting folded structures devised by Hedi Kyle. It is made from a single sheet of paper and folds up to have a set of pockets and a wrap-around closure to keep itself neat and tidy. There are instructions for making this in Hedi Kyle's book The Art of the Fold and also in Helen Hiebert's book, Playing With Paper and there are also a lot of instructions floating around online.
Comparing the instructions in Kyle's and Hiebert's books, you will find that they differ slightly. I actually prefer Hiebert's version, and I don't know if the difference is a refinement of Hiebert's devising or if Kyle originally did it the same way and then later simplified it.
If you look at the following photo, the difference is seen at the left side of those folders. Following the instructions in Kyle's book, the outer layer is a single thickness where the reverse side of the paper is visible. If you use Hiebert's instructions, that same bit will be a double thickness making it more durable (hence my preference for it) and the reverse side of the paper is hidden.
I became aware of this difference recently when I wanted to customize the size of the diagonal pocket to fit specific items. In this case, I wanted to make it suitable for holding standard giftcards. Hiebert's instructions indicate that you should begin with a sheet of paper that is 20" X 12" and the resulting folder is 6" X 4". This size is, in fact, perfect for the larger style of giftcards. However, I wanted to scale it down for small giftcards. I looked up the instructions in Kyle's book because she discusses how to change the size. She says it will work at any size if your paper's length and width are a 4:3 ratio. (This is when I realized her instructions were different since Hiebert's 20 x 12 recommended size doesn't follow the 4:3 ratio rule.)
All of that is just to say that when I came up with a size that fits my giftcards, I was using Hiebert's folding instructions. So if you want to try it, her instructions will give the best fit using my dimensions. I started with a sheet of paper 12" long and 8.25" wide. Then, using Hiebert's folding instructions, there will be three folds that are 2.25" apart as shown here.
If you have Hiebert's book, then proceed as per her instructions. I also sifted through some online tutorials and found the blog, Encasing Structure, which has decent instructions with photos, so you could start there. Substitute my dimensions if you want to make it fit small giftcards. (It's also a suitable size for holding standard business cards.) Use some seasonally appropriate wrapping paper and it's a quick way to make giftcards a little more personal!
Submitted by Rhonda Miller
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