Give your Valentine something sweet! Make this woven paper heart basket and fill it with candy. You will weave together red and white or pink and white paper to make this basket. In Norway, these cute little baskets are used to decorate Christmas trees.
The weaving can be a bit tricky, so carefully read the instructions for weaving and study the illustrations. This project is not recommended for children under 10 years old.
Choose the size of Valentine basket you want to make and download the pattern. There are patterns for 5¼" (13 cm) and 4" (10 cm) Valentine baskets. Print the pattern once on white paper, and then again on red or pink paper. Or, select a colored pattern and print it on white paper. Another option is to print a black & white pattern on white paper and color it with crayons or markers.
Patterns are Adobe PDF files. The Adobe Reader is available for free.
All of Aunt Annie's project patterns are designed to be printed on standard letter-size paper (8.5"x11" or A4). When printing from Adobe Reader, you may need to select Auto-Rotate and Center or Choose paper source by PDF page size to ensure the best fit.
Cut out the long, oval-shaped pattern pieces. Each Valentine basket requires two pattern pieces: one red (or pink) and one white.
Fold each pattern piece in half end-to-end. Be sure that the three center lines are on the outside.
Hold the folded pattern piece firmly and cut on each of the three lines. Repeat for each pattern piece. If you printed on colored paper, refold the pattern piece the opposite way so that the printed lines are on the inside.
The weaving can be tricky, so read the instructions carefully and refer to the illustration.
Hold the folded red pattern piece in your left hand and the white one in your right hand. Weave the first loop of the white piece inside the first loop of the red piece. Weave it over the second loop of the red piece, inside the third red loop, and over the fourth.
Weave the second loop of the white piece over the first loop of the red piece. Weave it inside the second red loop, over the third, and inside the fourth.
Weave the third white loop like the first and the fourth like the second. When you are done, the basket will look like the illustration and you will be able to open it up.
Tip: For the patterns with little hearts, hold the pattern piece with hearts in your left hand and the plain pattern piece in your right hand. Then follow the weaving instructions substituting the heart piece for red and plain piece for white. You should see little hearts going down the center of your basket.
Cut a handle for your basket from a scrap of paper, or use ribbon. Make the handle about 1/2" to 3/4" wide (1 to 1.5 cm) by 4" to 6" long (10 - 12 cm). Fold the handle in half, and glue or tape it inside the basket.
That's it! Now fill the
basket with candy and give it to your Valentine!