Cutting and folding the halves
The page prints both halves side by side, each one unfolded: a long rounded shape with a dashed line across its middle and the slits running through it. Cut along the outer line first, then along every slit, from one round end to the other. The slits stop where the round ends begin. Fold each half on its dashed line with the printed side out, and the two layers of every strip join at the fold into a loop.
Weaving it
Hold the halves with the folds at a right angle, the round ends pointing away from you. The first strip of A goes through the first loop of B, the second loop of B goes through the first strip of A, and so on along the row. Push the woven strip up to the top and weave the next strip of A, beginning the other way round. If a strip tears, a dab of glue under the next loop hides it.
If you are making decorations for the tree, the paper snowflake template cuts a new snowflake from a folded square, and the ornament maker prints a paper bauble with a name for every child.
Questions
How do you weave a paper heart?
Fold both halves so each strip becomes a loop. Hold the two folds at a right angle. Take the first strip of A and push it through the first loop of B, then open the A strip and slip the next loop of B through it, and go on like that: through, around, through. Slide the woven strip up, and weave the next strip of A starting the other way round, around first. When every strip is woven, the heart opens into a little basket.
How many strips should I choose?
Three strips are the easiest and a good start for children. Four make the classic checkerboard. Five and six give a finer pattern but narrower strips: on the small size six strips are 1 cm wide, which needs patience and a gentle hand.
What paper works best?
Thin, firm paper: printer paper in color mode, or colored paper with “Outlines, for colored paper” chosen. Red and white is the tradition in Denmark; red and green, or pink and red for Valentine's Day, work just as well. Very thick card cracks at the fold.
How big is the finished heart?
The large one is about 13.7 cm across and 12.5 cm tall, the small one about 10.2 by 9.4 cm. The woven square is as wide as each half, 8 or 6 cm, and stands on its corner between the two round lobes.
Can I hang it on the tree?
Yes. Glue a strip of paper or a ribbon inside the two lobes as a handle before the last strip is woven, and the heart becomes a basket for sweets that hangs from a branch, the way Danish families fill them for Christmas.
Is anything uploaded from this page?
No. The template and the PDF are drawn in your browser, and no request carries anything you chose.