How long does it take to fold a coconut leaf fish?

A medium fish takes about thirty minutes for a beginner. Small ornaments take twenty minutes and a large centrepiece fish takes around forty-five.

What size leaflets should I use for a leaf fish?

For a medium fish use two leaflets about 50 cm long and 4 cm wide. Scale both dimensions together, so a large fish uses 70 cm leaflets and a small ornament uses 35 cm ones.

Why does my leaf fish look too short and stubby?

The body is not long enough relative to its depth. A convincing fish is about three times as long as it is deep, so extend the weave a few more rows before you shape the head.

Can children make a coconut leaf fish?

Yes, with help on the first few rows. The weave is simple, but the tail split needs a sharp pair of scissors, so an adult should handle that part for younger children.

Coconut Leaf Fish: A Traditional Craft

In short

The woven coconut leaf fish is a traditional favourite, made from two leaflets in half an hour. Learn the fold, the tail, and the fins that bring it to life.

The fish is the figure I make most often, because it works at any size. Fold it small for a child to carry around, or large for a table centrepiece, and the same six folds do the job.

It is a traditional shape across much of South and Southeast Asia, and every maker I have met folds the tail a little differently. Here is the version I teach, with the measurements I actually use.

A leaf fish needs two leaflets and about thirty minutes. The body is a simple braid, the tail is a fan, and the fins are nothing more than two split strips eased outward. What makes it convincing is proportion: a fish that is roughly three times as long as it is deep looks right, while a short fat one looks like a leaf that got lost.

The leaf you want

Pick a leaflet that is broad and still green, about 4 cm wide at its widest. A narrow leaflet gives a thin, mean-looking fish, and an old one cracks at the tail. If you are folding a large fish, use two matching leaflets from the same frond so the colour and stiffness are consistent across both sides of the body.

What You'll Need

2 coconut leaflets, about 50 cm long and 4 cm wide
Sharp scissors
A damp cloth
A ruler for the first few fish

Folding the fish

1

Cross the leaflets

Lay the two leaflets across each other at their centres so they form a neat cross. Press the crossing point flat.
2

Weave the body

Fold each arm of the cross over the next in turn, working around the centre, until you have a small square knot about 5 cm across.
3

Extend the body

Continue the same over-and-under weave outward along one axis for about 12 cm to form the body of the fish.
4

Shape the head

At the front, fold the loose ends inward and tuck them under the last row to round off the head. Trim to a blunt point.
5

Fan the tail

At the back, split the remaining ends into four strips and fan them into a tail about 8 cm across. Crease each strip so it holds.
6

Add the fins

Split one strip on each side of the body and ease it outward to form a fin. Trim each fin to a soft triangle.

A woven coconut leaf fish with fanned tail and side fins — The tail carries the character; fan it wider than you think you need.

Getting the fish to look right

Keep the body three times as long as it is deep or the fish looks stunted.
Fan the tail last, once the body is tight, so you do not crush it while weaving.
A damp cloth wiped over the fins helps them crease without cracking.
Trim the fins with a single clean cut; ragged edges fray as the leaf dries.

Folds that transfer to other figures

The over-and-under weave you use for the body is the same one that starts a basket base, and the tail fan is the same technique as the grasshopper legs. Learn the fish and you have quietly learned two of the most useful leaf folds there are. That is why I teach it early, even though the finished figure looks more advanced than the bird.