A spider snowflake is a paper snowflake where the cutout design reveals spider shapes when you unfold it. The trick is folding a standard six-pointed snowflake base, then cutting a specific spider silhouette into the folded paper so the pattern repeats around the center. With a square piece of paper and sharp scissors, you can make one in about ten minutes.
What You Need
Standard copy paper works well for spider snowflakes. It’s thin enough to cut through multiple layers without fighting the scissors, and stiff enough to hold its shape when you unfold it. Thicker cardstock looks nicer on display but becomes very difficult to cut through once folded into six layers. If you want a sturdier result, white copy paper is still your best starting point.
You’ll need sharp scissors, preferably a small pair with pointed tips. The spider’s legs require narrow, precise cuts, and blunt-tipped scissors will tear the paper instead of slicing it cleanly. Small embroidery scissors or detail craft scissors are ideal. A pencil for sketching your spider outline before cutting is also helpful, especially your first time.
How to Fold the Base
Start with a perfectly square piece of paper. If you’re using standard rectangular copy paper, fold one corner diagonally to the opposite edge, forming a triangle, and trim off the strip of excess paper along the bottom.
Now fold the square diagonally to create a triangle. Fold that triangle in half again to make a smaller triangle. You should have a shape with the closed point (the center of your original square) at one end and the open edges at the other.
Here’s where most people go wrong. You need to divide this triangle into thirds, folding each side over to create a narrow, elongated wedge shape. Take the right third and fold it over the center, then fold the left third over on top of it. Each of these folds covers a 30-degree angle. If the folds don’t line up neatly, your spider pattern won’t repeat evenly when you unfold it. Take your time here. The more precisely these thirds align, the more symmetrical your finished snowflake will be.
Once folded, trim the uneven edges at the top of the wedge so you have a clean triangular or pointed shape to work with. This trimmed edge becomes the outer border of your snowflake.
Drawing the Spider Design
Before you cut anything, sketch the spider shape onto the folded paper with a pencil. This is the step that turns a regular snowflake into a spider snowflake, and it requires thinking about how the design will mirror when unfolded.
The key concept: you’re only drawing half a spider along the folded edge. When the paper unfolds, the other half appears as a mirror image, creating a complete spider. Orient your half-spider so its body sits along one of the folded edges of the wedge. Draw one side of the spider’s body (a rounded bump for the abdomen, a smaller bump for the head) along the fold, with four legs extending outward from that side. The legs can be angular or curved, but keep them thick enough that they won’t rip when you unfold the paper. Pencil-thin legs will tear.
For a classic look, make the legs slightly bent at the midpoint, like a real spider’s joints. Leave small bridges of paper between each leg so the design stays connected. If you cut the legs completely free from the surrounding paper, the spider will fall out instead of staying attached to the snowflake.
Cutting the Pattern
Cut along your pencil lines slowly, turning the paper rather than the scissors when you reach curves. The folded paper is six layers thick at this point, so you’ll need firm, deliberate cuts. Rushing leads to jagged edges or tearing through layers unevenly.
Start with the larger cuts first, like the spaces between the spider’s legs, then move to finer details. If your design includes small triangles or notches between the legs for a web-like effect, poke the scissor tip through the paper to start those interior cuts. You can also add traditional snowflake elements around the spider: small triangles along the outer edge, diamond cutouts, or thin slits that create a lacy border around the spider shapes.
Cut away any remaining pencil marks so they don’t show on the finished snowflake.
Unfolding Without Tearing
This is the most satisfying step, but also where impatience ruins the project. Unfold the paper one layer at a time, gently peeling each fold apart rather than pulling the whole thing open at once. The spider legs and any thin connecting pieces are fragile. If a section sticks together, slide a fingernail or the flat edge of a butter knife between the layers to separate them.
Your unfolded snowflake will have six spider shapes radiating from the center, connected by the surrounding paper. The design should be symmetrical. If some spiders look different from others, your initial folds weren’t aligned precisely, which is common on a first attempt.
The snowflake will be wrinkled from all the folding. To flatten it, place it between two sheets of parchment paper and press with a warm iron on a low setting. You can also slip it inside a heavy book for a day or two. For display, flattened snowflakes tape well to windows or can be strung on thread as hanging decorations.
Tips for a Better Result
- Keep leg width consistent. Spider legs that taper to a point will tear. Aim for legs at least 3 to 4 millimeters wide at their narrowest point.
- Add a web effect. Cut small V-shaped notches between the legs and along the outer edge. These create the illusion of a web radiating outward from each spider.
- Practice the fold first. Before drawing any spider design, fold and unfold a blank sheet to see where the fold lines fall. This helps you visualize where to place the spider body so it lands in the right spot.
- Use black paper for display. White paper is easier to practice on, but black paper spider snowflakes look striking against a window or light-colored wall. When cutting dark paper, use a white colored pencil or chalk to sketch your design.
- Scale up for easier cutting. Larger paper means larger folds and more room for detail. A 12-inch square gives you much more space to work with than a standard 8.5-inch sheet.