How to Make a Victorian “Puzzle Purse” Letter
Before texts, emails, and heart emojis, people found creative ways to say I love you.
One of our favourites? A Victorian-era folded letter called a Puzzle Purse...A beautiful little paper mystery that reveals its message one layer at a time.
A Puzzle Purse is a fancy, artistic way of folding a letter into a small pocketed square....Part origami, part secret message. When unfolded, it reveals words, images, and surprises in stages, ending with one final “big reveal” in the centre. Today, we’re bringing that tradition back, step by step, with a Muskoka twist!
Let's get started....
Gather your materials and start with a practice version using plain paper before moving on to your final piece. This test sheet is perfect for adding guide lines, letters, and numbers (following the instructions below) and will help you get comfortable with the folding steps and techniques.
1. Start with a square piece of paper. It is important to make the square divisible by 3. For eg: Using a piece of 8.5 x 11” paper I cut mine to 8.25” x 8.25” (2.75 x 3)
2. Form an X by folding diagonally corner to corner both ways creasing the paper as you do. Try to be precise by lining up the corners as perfectly as you can.
3. Keep the paper facing the same side up. Using a ruler, measure and lightly mark three equal sections (2.75 inches each) along the top edge with a pencil. Rotate the paper and repeat this on all sides. Fold the paper inward to align with the one-third marks, creating two fold lines and three columns. Unfold, then rotate the paper 90 degrees and repeat the process on the other direction to form another set of three columns. This will create a 3×3 grid of nine squares with a cross at the centre. That lovely centre square will hold your main message or image.
4. Flip the paper over. Fold outside corners to inside dots diagonally. Fold D to 1, fold B to 3, fold A to 4, fold C to 2.
5. As you fold when the 2 corners touch, this is how it should look like.
6.Flip the paper over again to the original side. Take a deep breath in now and relax as this can be tricky and take a wee bit of patience but its all worth it. ;)
Begin to pinch along the folded lines marked in orange. As you do this, the 4 sides will raise up bringing them in towards the middle.
7. The folds may fall into place naturally, or they might need a little guidance. Work slowly, gently guiding the folds to draw inward until they meet at the centre and form a pinwheel shape.
8. Now, starting from the bottom pinwheel take the point and fold it up into centre. Going in a counter-clockwise direction do the same with each point being sure to flatten them for a tighter fit. With the final point you will slide it underneath the first one creating a sweet little pocket.
10. Now it’s time to decorate however you like—though we recommend working in stages. Begin with the front and back squares while the puzzle is closed. Some people choose to number the sections on the front to guide the reader as they open each layer. You might make a mini collage from magazine clippings, write heartfelt notes, a riddle, or a short verse on each flap to be revealed one by one. Next, open the triangle flaps and decorate that layer, then keep unfolding and creating as you go. Once fully opened, the small square at the centre is reserved for the big reveal - your final message or image. This could be a shared memory, a poem, drawings, or even a photograph.
Whether you fill yours with drawings, memories, poetry, or quiet words meant for just one person, your Puzzle Purse becomes a small love letter.....To Muskoka, to someone special, or to the act of slowing down itself.
Have fun, and when you’re done, don’t forget to submit your finished love token to Muskoka. We can’t wait to see what you create!
Take a photo of your creation and submit it here: https://www.puremuskoka.com/pages/love-letters-to-muskoka
