THE TODD LILLY and THE T BALL

I have been working on this model for several months now.

There were some design problems to overcome in the early stages. One of them was solved while waiting to see the eye surgeon Dr Todd Severin. His assistant, Tamie, left me in this dimly lighted man's office after dilating my eyes. Bored, I grabbed a sheet of paper from one of his notepads and worked on solving the problem of how to make the carrier case of this flower look like petals. The insight gained from this fiddling resulted in a solution which looked pleasing.

In appreciation for the use of his notepad and his office (among other things) this lilly-like flower has been named after Dr Todd Severin. I have named the ensuing kusudama ball "The T Lilly" after both Tamie who is also know quite simply as "T". Of course, the "T" title can be used to cover both of these T-beginning names.

The Severin practice is one of the most pleasant medical establishments I have ever visited. All the staff are relaxed and fun to be around. It is clear from the beginning that this is a place where miracles of vision happen on a regular basis.

There are artists in the Severin family and this shows in the decor. Sitting in the downstairs waiting room is like sitting in a comfortable lounge room in an artisan's house. I would recommend a visit to the bathroom. It is the nicest bathroom I have ever had need to visit in a doctor's office: art, flowers, dried plants pieces, wallpaper, interesting tables and decorated cupboards. It is a wonder the staff don't charge an entrance fee.

The petals of the Todd Lilly are made from paper of two different tones of the same hue. The photos of the red flower do not show this well. It is easier to see in the original. The tonal difference gives depth to the flower.

The pink and red flowers are the original design. They have flower connectors which do not include "leaves".

The red flower ball was my first kusudama from this series. While I was completing it I used it as a model to teach folding enthusiasts at the July WCOG meeting in Los Angeles. You will find a record of that meeting and my mini "class" on Michael Sander's blog. http://havepaperwilltravel.blogspot.com/

Here is a link to Michael's video of that meeting. As you can see, it was a fun-filled meeting.



Michael is an amazing chap. He now posts from the future. Here is the evidence.








The second version of the Todd Lilly uses connectors with attached leaves. Here are two differently colored versions of this. The white and blue flower with copper, navy and aqua centers and teal connector leaves was made to fit the decor in the Severin Clinic. The blue petals do not contrast well with the teal petals and I am in the process of making a different, and much larger, kusudama using copper colored petals instead.



Here are the Crease Patterns for the model. For the sake of clarity I have omitted drawing the reflected creases in the center of the pattern for the central stamen. They will reproduce themselves if you fold the shown creases after blintzing the paper as shown.