The blade pieces

1. 1

   Cut out the template

   Print the template. Cut out pages 1 and 2 along the outer dashed lines. Page 2 is the top part of the blade with the tip. Page 1 is the lower part that goes down to the handle.

   

2. 2

   Snip along the middle line

   Make a small cut along the short dashed line in the middle, between the two strips. Only cut as far as the dashed line goes, not all the way. Later we fold the piece in half here.

   

3. 3

   Fold the white paper to the back

   Turn the piece over. Fold the white paper along the dashed lines so it lies flat on the back of the blade. These folded layers make the blade stiff.

   

4. 4

   Fold around the tip

   At the pointed end, fold the white paper to the back so it follows the shape of each tip.

   

5. 5

   Glue the folds down

   Put glue under the folded white paper and press it down along the whole piece.

   

6. 6

   Fold it in half

   Fold the piece in half along the middle, with the printed side out, so the two tips meet.

   

7. 7

   Shape the blade

   Turn it over and gently open it, so the blade piece gets a soft rounded shape. Now the blade has a pattern on both sides.

   

8. 8

   Make the purple piece

   Do the same with page 1, but without the tip. Now you have the blue top part with the tip and the purple lower part.

   

The inside tube

1. 9

   Trim the gradient sheet

   Take page 3 with the purple and blue gradient. Cut off the white edge.

   

2. 10

   Make one long sheet

   Glue plain sheets of printer paper to the end of the gradient sheet, overlapping the edges a little. This makes one long sheet for the tube.

   

3. 11

   Roll it tightly

   Start rolling from the gradient end. Roll as tightly as you can, so the tube is hard and strong. Glue the last edge down.

   

4. 12

   Check the tube

   The finished tube is long and stiff. The gradient part will be the handle, and the white part goes inside the blade.

   

Put the blade together

1. 13

   Slide the tube into the purple piece

   Push the white end of the tube into the purple blade piece. The gradient end sticks out and becomes the handle.

   

2. 14

   Add the blue tip

   Slide the blue piece with the tip onto the rest of the tube, until it meets the purple piece.

   

3. 15

   Close the blade

   Put glue along the open long edge of each blade piece and press it closed around the tube.

   

   The blade is ready.

4. 16

   Check the blade

   Now the blade is closed around the tube, and the purple and blue handle sticks out at the bottom.

   

The gold handle

1. 17

   Cut out the gold parts

   Cut out everything from page 4: the two gold striped panels, the two halves of the guard and the two purple end pieces.

   

2. 18

   Wrap the handle

   Put glue on the white back of one gold panel and wrap it around the top of the handle. Wrap the second panel a little lower, so a band of purple shows between them.

   

3. 19

   Add the guard

   Glue the white flaps of the two guard halves and press them around the bottom of the blade, one on each side. Hold them until the glue sets.

   

4. 20

   Add the end pieces

   Put glue on the white back of a purple end piece and press it onto the bottom of the handle. Glue the second one on the other side, so they cover the end of the tube.

   

5. 21

   Your sword is ready

   Check that all the edges are glued down. Now Rumi’s sword is ready for the stage.

   

   Rumi’s sword is ready.

Make it easier.

• Roll the tube tight. A tight tube makes the whole sword stiff and strong.
• Use a glue stick, not liquid glue. Liquid glue makes the paper wavy.
• Thicker paper = stronger sword. Plain printer paper works, but thicker paper makes the blade even stiffer.