woven hearts: modernizing a classic

Woven heart baskets are a classic Valentine craft. You probably made them when you were little. There is a reason for their longevity: they’re super easy,really fun, and can be made with whatever you have on hand. I needed a refresher course and found it in my classic craft book from my Grandmother’s nursery school.

Yes, this is a vintage craft with a twist. I wove an assortment of unexpected materials together… you’re welcome to stick with standard red and pink construction paper, but I bet you can come up with some fabulous and innovative ideas. Here is a little gallery to click on, followed by an easy tutorial.

1. painted newspaper/unpainted newspaper
2. painted newspaper/brown paper (bag or Kraft)
3. plain newspaper
4. muslin/red ticking*
5. muslin/burlap*
6. semi vintage map
* For fabric: iron to freezer paper before you cut out. This adds structure and reduces fraying from the pretty raw edges.

There are so many possibilities: music sheets of your favorite love song, menus from the restaurant from your first date, extra wedding invitations, birth announcements, vintage childrens coloring books, sentimental fabric, felt…

woven hearts: how to

Don’t be scared of the template. You can eyeball it. The most important measurements are of the two pieces to be woven: they must be identical.

Begin by choosing and cutting your materials. I liked having a lot cut at once so that I could mix and match as I made them.

1. Fold rounded rectangle in half and mark where you will make your three cuts.
2. Cut.
3. Weave in and out of the loops. Open the loops to feed the alternate side through and vise versa. Once you are doing it, it should make perfect sense. Let me know if you’d like more of an explanation, if after trying it you’re still not certain.
4. Glue or tape a coordinating strip of paper (I used twill tape for the fabric ones) for hanging.

Don’t for get the best part: these can be filled with messages and treats. This would be sweet hanging by a bedside for a morning surprise! The message in this one: “You mean the world to me!“

Here’s a little sneak peek at something I’m working on for next week.

Please stop by this weekend for a little Valentine’s Day give-away…

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