2 Easy Ways to Fold an Origami Cross with a Dollar Bill

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An easy step-by-step guide to making a dollar bill cross

Co-authored by Robert Homayoon and Bailey Bujnosek, BA

Last Updated: March 20, 2025 Fact Checked

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Making an In God We Trust Cross

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Making a Dollar Heart Cross

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Video

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Tips

If you have spare dollar bills lying around, use origami to fold them into a neat cross shape. The dollar cross is unique from a regular origami cross because it features the phrase “In God We Trust” along the horizontal bar. Another option is to fold a simple origami heart that creates a visual cross in the center. Follow the simple tutorials below to transform your spare cash into masterpieces.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Making a Dollar Cross with “In God We Trust” Inscription

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1
Fold the bill in half from top to bottom, then unfold. Before you start, position your one-dollar bill so George Washington’s face is visible and upright. Lift up the long bottom edge of the bill and join it with the top edge. Press down to form a horizontal crease at the halfway point of the bill. Unfold the bill once your crease is made. ^{[1]
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- To make crisp folds, origamist and contemporary artist Coco Sato says you can use your fingertip or nails to go over your creases. Use a bone folder , a ruler , or the non-sharp edge of a butter-knife to help your folds appear extra crisp.
2
Fold the top and bottom edges to the middle crease. First, lift the bottom edge up so the edge meets the crease you just made. Repeat with the top edge so the top and bottom edges are touching in the center of the bill, right at the central crease. ^{[2]
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- When you complete this step, you can’t see George Washington’s picture anymore.
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When you rotate the bill upside-down, the words “One Dollar” are readable. Unfold this flap, revealing George Washington’s chin. ^{[3]
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Take the already folded lower edge of the bill and bring it up to the middle crease, revealing the “In God We Trust” inscription. Crease it, taking care to make the fold neat. ^{[4]
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Accordian-fold the rest of the bill. An accordion fold is when you make equal creases that stack on top of each other, folding in alternating directions. The folds resemble the bellows of an accordion. ^{[5]
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- Start by picking the bill up from the bottom and turning it over so it’s face-down, with the “ONE” in the center of the bill upright and readable. ^{[6]
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- Fold the top edge down so the thin rectangle with “In God We Trust” is facing you and readable.
- Flip the bill over so the “In God We Trust” inscription is at the bottom. Fold the bottom edge upward to reveal the inscription and crease it.
- Repeat about two to three more times, flipping and folding until the entire bill is folded behind the “In God We Trust” inscription.
6
Crease the sides of the bill at the swirls. First, hold the bill, which is now a skinny rectangle, so you can read the “In God We Trust” inscription. Find the two swirls above the inscription on each side. Right next to those swirls, fold each side of the rectangle backward behind the bill, one at a time. Pinch to crease, then unfold the sides once the creases are set. ^{[7]
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- Fold so the swirls are still visible—make the creases right next to where the swirl starts on each side.
- At the end of this step, unfold so you’re holding the skinny rectangle again.
7
Fold the right side at the crease and at the “We.” On the “Trust” side of “In God We Trust,” fold the right side of the bill backward at the crease you just made. Pinch it with your finger and thumb so your thumb is covering the word “Trust.” With your other hand, grab the right side and twist it to create a new fold so it’s pointing upward above with the word “We.” ^{[8]
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- The twist fold at the “We” doesn’t fold into the bill, but outward. In other words, you’re not twisting and tucking the side into itself, but twisting outward toward the right.
8
Do a reverse fold at the last crease you made. You’re essentially turning the twist fold at the “We” inside out. Open the flap that’s pointing upward so you see the eagle and coat of arms that looks like a shield. Close the flap the reverse way so the coat of arms is on the outside of the flap now. Crease it as the last crease you made, pointing upward above “We” again. ^{[9]
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- This is the almost-finished top of the cross.
EXPERT TIP

Robert Homayoon
Origami Expert
Robert Homayoon is an Origami Expert known for his engaging YouTube videos and accessible instructions. He has been teaching origami on YouTube since 2009. His channel has a following of over 676,000 subscribers, and his videos have garnered over 211 million views. Robert uses his channel to highlight his passion for teaching people origami, crafts, and how to solve puzzles. He graduated from SUNY Albany in 2007 and earned his D.M.D degree from Temple University Dental School in 2013.

Robert Homayoon
Origami Expert

Practice your folds often. Origami requires coordination, a certain precision, and an artistic touch. You have to practice. Most people won't get things right the first time.
Fold the top of the cross you just made almost halfway down, so the white border is just covering the inscription but not touching the bottom edge. Tuck it into one of the accordion layers behind the inscription to secure it in place. ^{[10]
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Flip it over so the inscription is face down. Fold the free right side toward the left at the crease by the swirl that you made earlier. Pinch it with your thumb and pointer finger at the right edge of the top part of the cross. Bring the long end back toward the right and fold it downward so it lines up with the top half of the cross. ^{[11]
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Undo the fold at the crease by the swirl so you can manipulate the downward fold. Open up the accordion flap so the bright-green treasury seal is visible. ^{[12]
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Research source} Re-fold the flap in the reverse direction—the green seal is now exposed at the bottom corner of the reverse fold. ^{[13]
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Fold the bottom of the cross back to the center. Again, fold it backward at the swirl crease so it lines up with the top half of the cross behind the word “We.” ^{[14]
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Research source} Your cross is now complete! Adjust as necessary to make it as straight and lined-up as possible.
- To prevent the bottom half of the cross from unfolding, place it between the pages of a book and put something heavy on top of the book. After a few hours, check on the cross—it should be flat and hold together on its own. ^{[15]
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- Alternatively, use a small dot of craft glue to hold the bottom of the cross in place.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Making a Dollar Origami Heart with Cross

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1
Fold the bill in half from right to left, then unfold. Before you fold, ensure the dollar bill’s picture of George Washington is visible and upright. Lift up the short right edge of the bill and line it up with the left edge, creasing at the center of the bill (the middle of Washington’s face). Press down to make a crisp crease. Unfold. ^{[16]
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- Choose a dollar bill as crisp as possible—a wrinkled one will be harder to fold neatly.
Instead of a valley fold, which creates a “V” shape, do a mountain fold, which creates an upside-down “V” shape like half the letter “M.” ^{[17]
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Research source} Do this by taking the top edge of the bill and folding it backward so it lines up with the bottom edge, and George Washington’s picture is still visible. Crease, then unfold. ^{[18]
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Hold the bill with George Washington facing you and the left edge pointing upward. Take both of the left corners and fold them toward Washington’s picture so they line up with the long central crease, forming a triangle on that side of the bill. Press down to secure the creases. ^{[19]
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At the bottom edge of the triangle, create a straight crease by folding it. Press the triangle against the back side of the bill and pinch the crease to make a crisp, neat fold. ^{[20]
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Repeat the triangle fold with the right-side corners. First, hold the bill so the right side is pointing upward and Washington’s picture is toward you. Fold the right-side corners toward Washington’s picture, lining them up with the central crease to make a triangle. Fold the triangle down against the back side of the bill, creasing at its bottom edge. ^{[21]
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- At the end, both triangles you made point toward each other across from the word “One” written on the back of the bill.
Start by looking at the picture of Washington. See the vertical crease you made through Washington’s face? Bring your triangles to this crease one at a time, lining up their bottom edges with the crease so they’re touching. At the end, you’ve made a diamond shape covering Washington. ^{[22]
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Flip the bill over and fold the top corners down toward the center. Turn the bill so the word “One” is facing you. Take the top two corners and fold them down toward the center of the bill, creating another triangle shape. ^{[23]
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- This is the bottom point of the heart shape.
Since you just folded what will be the bottom of the heart shape, re-orient the bill so that it’s pointing downward. Leave the straight side pointing upward. Flip the bill over so that the diamond is facing you. ^{[24]
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Start by taking the inner corners at the top point of the diamond and pushing them down and inward. Press them into a fold that creates the top of the heart shape on each side. Don’t worry about the back part of the top flaps yet. ^{[25]
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Turn the heart over and finish folding the top flaps down. Look at the back of the heart—see the top rectangle pointing toward you where you made the folds just now. Press the rectangle all the way down. To create even points on both sides of the heart, push the inner parts of the rectangle outward and upward like you’re creating a little bowtie. ^{[26]
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- If the back creases are messy, that’s okay—no one has to see that side!
- Once the top of the heart is properly creased, your dollar heart with a cross design is complete. The cross is formed by the white borders of the bill.