Chinese Thread Box Talisman Container

#witchcraft #arcana #arts-crafts

I had been struggling to come up with a better way to contain my unused talismans. Currently, they're just wedged raw into my grimoire, probably spewing out unpredictable energies without a care. When a finished Chinese thread book project found its way into my social media feeds, I took that as a sign.

The so-called Chinese thread book is a set of modular, flat, and foldable origami boxes, stacked on top of each other to create a folio of pockets for storing non-bulky items. Ideally, no glue would be used in its construction, but it adds extra security, and allows for different types of boxes to be used.

The importance of paper in my practice and my general experience in paper crafts makes it the perfect option. While black is an uncommon paper color to come by, I have inks and paints at hand. Other enchantments can even be woven underneath the folds and paint. The complexity of the thread book and its aesthetic value helps keep my talismans discreet.

I followed the guide and measurements collected by an old Blogspot called Paper Ponies, adjusted to fit my needs: the total final size should be less than a piece of A4, and the smallest unit should at have at least a side of 5cm.

The sizes I used are listed below.

S is the smallest unit size
P is the allowance for the spine.

Module A is the smallest basic unit - the one that has a flower decoration.

Module	Amount	Final size (cm)	Paper needed (cm)
A	16	$S \times S$	$4 S \times 2 S$	10 x 20
B	8	$S \times 2 S$	$4 S \times 2 S$	10 x 20
C	4	$2 S \times 2 S$	$4 S \times 4 S$	20 x 20
D	2	$2 S \times 4 S$	$6 S \times 6 S$	30 x 30
E	1	$(4 S + P) \times 4 S$	$(8 S + P) \times \frac{3}{2} S$	44 x 30

Modules A and B are almost identical, the difference mostly being the size of the box and the flaps. C begins with the boat base, stopping just a step away from being a full pinwheel. D and E are variations of this origami box. Instead of starting with fourths, D uses thirds to create a narrower, taller box, while E adds extra space to account for bulk.

Computing the required paper sizes and constructing the ones for Modules D and E took a while. I did not get to utilize botanical methods of enchanting my paper -the spirit of arts and crafts had driven me into a crafting frenzy.