With this resource, you can make beautiful and unique woven paper hearts that you can use as decorations or gifts for various occasions. You can hang them on your Christmas tree, give them to your loved ones on Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, or use them as small tokens of appreciation for your friends and family. It's a fun and easy craft that you can enjoy with your kids or students.
This resource contains templates for 12 different woven hearts that you can print and cut out. Each template has a different pattern that will create a lovely woven effect when you braid the paper strips. The resource also includes clear instructions on how to fold and braid the paper hearts, as well as some suggestions on how to customize them with different colors and designs. The designs range from simple to more intricate, so you can choose the level of difficulty that suits you best.
Woven paper hearts or pleated Christmas hearts are a traditional Scandinavian craft that dates back to the 19th century. No one knows for sure when and where people started making paper hearts, but the oldest ones we know of were made by the famous Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen in 1860. He wrote many fairy tales that you might have heard of, such as The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling. He liked to make paper hearts and other paper crafts for fun. Over 100 years ago 1910, Danish kindergartens began to teach children how to make paper hearts. They thought it was a good way to help them develop their creativity, patience, and fine motor skills.
Learn how to make woven paper hearts, a traditional Scandinavian craft. This resource contains templates for 12 different woven hearts.
To get started, all you need is to download and print our Woven Paper Hearts templates. You can try our Freebie or download the full version with 12 templates.
Choose the woven heart template you like and print two copies of it, each on different colored paper. Fold along the dotted line, cut out the shapes and cut along the black lines. Fold it the other way so that the printed side is on the inside.
Place the lighter colored half on top of the darker half to make a heart shape.
Bend the upper strip of the lighter half upwards. Pull out the upper strip of the darker half and bend it upwards as well. If the heart has shifted in the process, simply push it back into place.
Open the darker strip so that it forms a loop and pull the lighter strip through the loop.
Now the heart should look like this. So you don’t lose track of where you are, be sure to realign the two halves after each step.
Bend the next lighter strip upwards and do the same for the next darker strip.
This time, open the lighter strip so that it makes a loop and pull the darker strip through the loop.
Now the heart looks like this. Bend the next lighter strip upwards and pull out the next darker strip and bend it upwards as well.
Open the darker strip to form a loop and pull the lighter strip through it.
Be sure to realign the two halves to keep the heart shape. Then bend the first darker strip upwards. Pull out the second lighter strip and bend it upwards as well.
Open the lighter strip to form a loop and pull that first darker strip through it.
When you realign the parts to the heart shape, you can now see how the second lighter strip is on top. Now bend the next light and dark strips upwards.
Open the darker strip to form a loop and pull the lighter strip through.
Now fold the final pieces of the light and dark strips upwards.
Pull the darker strip through the loop of the lighter strip. You may need to pull out the lighter strip a little to do this.
The second row is now finished. For the final set of strips, bend the third lighter strip and the first darker strip upwards.
This time, open the darker strip to form a loop and pull the lighter strip through.
The heart now looks like this. Bend the next light and dark strips upwards.
Now open the lighter strip to form a loop and pull the darker strip through.
Bend the last light and dark strips upwards.
Pull the lighter strip through the darker strip. All done!
You can also cut the lines to form unique woven patterns or combine the templates with one another in any way you like.
Learn how to make woven paper hearts, a traditional Scandinavian craft. This resource contains templates for 12 different woven hearts.
