Project: Woven Heart

I used to make these hearts when I was living in Norway. They're actually Christmas ornaments that you fill with candy and hang on the Christmas tree. The Norwegians had such cool Christmas traditions. Maybe I'll teach you how to make a marzipan pig this Christmas. Mmmm, marzipan pigs...

I use craft felt for my hearts, but you can use any non-fraying fabric, paper, leather, or whatever. Use the template in yonder sidebar (figure 1). You can blow it up or reduce it on the photocopier to make smaller or larger hearts. When you've cut out the basic, maxi pad shapes, fold them in half and cut three slits, again according to the template diagram.

I like to put pins in the tops of the hearts in an attempt to keep them together during the tricky weaving process. And it goes a little something like this (figures 2 and 3):

Top row
D through A then    
B through D then    
D through C  

Middle row
A through E then    
E through B then    
C through E  

Bottom row
F through A then    
B through F then    
F through C

You did it! Now you'll notice that not only do you have a cool-looking woven heart (The two halves become one- get the romantic symbolism? Aww!) but it also makes a little pocket! Fill it with love stuff for your loved one!

If you want some closure, you can either glue a strip of felt on the inside of the tops of both hearts to make a little handle (figure 4) or thread some ribbon through the heart to close it off with a lil' bow. Fantastic! My black and white heart looks oh-so-retro 80s.