Christmas heart with a Christmas heart

Antal: Christmas heart

Author: Christel Parby

Create a more intricate Christmas heart for your tree – featuring a woven heart design inside.

Use a variety of paper types, such as free printable sheets, glossy paper, leftover gift wrap, or handmade paper – and craft your own Danish Christmas hearts.

Equipment

Printer
Pdf file
Scissors
Glue stick
Paper clips or paper binders

Materials

Paper:

Copy paper, glossy paper, gift wrapping paper, handmade paper…

Optionally:

Ribbon or another type of paper for the handle
Glitter stamps, stickers, washi tape

Instructions

Print and choose paper

Begin by deciding whether you want to print, cut, and weave a ready-made Christmas heart, or use the template with glossy paper, gift wrap, or printed designs.
If you choose one of the hearts I’ve created, click on the image <ahref="#skabelon">here</a> or the link below – it opens a PDF file you can print directly from your browser.
Cut the paper with the heart template into 3 strips, corresponding to the handle and the two heart halves.
You do not have to cut them precisely yet.
If you’re using other types of paper, make sure you have two sheets – each twice the length of your template.
You’ll also need material for a handle.

Fold

Fold each heart part along the dotted line, if present - or simply fold the paper in half.
If you are using glossy or other delicate paper, turn the paper so the coloured side is facing up. (I did not do that with the red and white heart.)
Place the two heart halves on top of each other, with the fold at the bottom.
Make sure the folds align precisely – see photo for reference.
I assemble my parts with paper binders.
It makes it easier to keep the papers together, so both sides are the same.
You can also use paper clips.
I would not recommend tape.

Cut

Start by cutting the inner lines of the heart - this makes it easier to get both sides the same.
The heart is easier to weave if you cut the lines just like I've made them.
Take care when cutting the small curved section and the line beneath it.
After cutting the lines inside the heart, cut the outline.

Ready – Steady

Turn the heart right side out (if it was inside out) and place the heart parts as in the picture.
The dominant paper is called “paper A” or A, the other is called “paper B” or B.
Make sure the arches that form the top of the little heart face inward on both halves - see the turquoise line.
Stay with me.
I call the large tabs for 1A, 2A and 3A, 1B, 2B and 3B.
The smaller parts you weave in the little heart are in the pictures called 2a, 2b, 2c.
In the text, I call them A2a, A2b, and A2c and B2a, B2b, and B2c - so you know which half you should weave.

Weave

Always start from the inside and work your way out.
Have paper A on the right when weaving if you are right-handed. If you are left-handed, do the opposite.
It does not matter what type of paper you use - the weaving method is the same.
First, weave the top tab - tab 1A, over tab 1B in paper B.
Then between the paper in tab 2B and over tab 3B.
Push tab 1A to the top of the heart before continuing - there should be no visible gap at the top of B.

Continue with tab 2A

Here comes the most difficult part to weave - the small parts of the little heart.
(You can also see the video).
First, tab 2A goes between the paper in tab 1B.
Part A2a goes over part B2a making sure the small curved white sections are tucked inside, then A2a goes through B2b and over B2c.
You might want to put it through 3B now, or you can wait with that part until you have weaved the little heart.
A2b goes through part B2a, over B2b and through B2c.
Part A2c goes over part B2a, through B2b and over B2c.
Then you can take A2abc and thread all three through tab 3B.
Push the tabs up to the top.
You weave the last tab 3A, almost like the first: over 1B, through the three small B2abc, over 3B.
Adjust the heart so it lies flat and smooth.
Cut the handle out – or make it, depending on whether you use the printed paper, other types of paper, or fabric.
Glue the handle inside the heart, use a glue stick on the outer coloured ends of your handle, and glue them firmly inside the Christmas heart.
Let the handle dry before hanging the Christmas heart on your Christmas tree.
You can write your name and date in the heart.

Notes

If you have not weaved a Christmas heart before, here are a few tips.

It is IMPORTANT that you lay the template with the straight edge to the fold of your paper
Print a few sheets of the hearts I’ve designed and practice on the easy ones, or practice on copy paper, food paper or baking paper before using your good paper
ALWAYS weave from the inside out
Be patient - the more complicated hearts, or those with many tabs may be a little tricky
Glossy paper, glossy gift wrap, and glossy paper for bookbinding are easier to weave with than copy paper

It looks good if you cut straight lines using a scalpel and ruler instead of cutting with a scissor.

You can enlarge and reduce the templates, use Adobe Reader and set up your printout, or scale on a copier.

You can set the size before printing via your image viewer if you choose to print the photos.

Private

Click here to add your own private notes.