In this tutorial, you will discover how to turn an old envelope, or some scraps of paper, into a gorgeous woven paper heart! Perfect for Valentine’s Day, they are easy to make, and would look adorable attached to a card or gift for that special someone in your life!
To make a paper heart, you will need:
* coloured paper (a different colour on each side works best for this) 80-90gsm recommended
* scissors / craft knife
* pencil
* ruler
You can watch my video tutorial to see me making one of these hearts, or follow the written instructions below:
First, you will need to cut out four strips of paper, each one measuring 17cm x 1cm / 6.7″ x 0.4″. I’m reusing an old envelope for mine.
Take one of the strips and fold it in half to make a crease. Open it out again and fold one end backwards to make an L shape, aligning the edge along the middle crease (see first example pictured below).
Fold the other end forwards and align it along the middle crease (see second example below). Press down firmly.
Fold the left hand end upwards, keeping it in front (see third example above) and the right hand end upwards, keeping it behind (see fourth example above). Make sure the long edges are neatly aligned, and press down firmly.
Repeat with the other three strips of paper.
Next, interlock two of the pieces, making sure that one of them is back to front (showing a different colour, if you have one).
Then do the same with the other two pieces.
Fold the top (gold) strip down over itself.
Then fold the second (white) strip to the right so that it runs parallel to the previous one you folded, and tuck it behind the the next (white) strip.
Cut the (white) folded strip as shown below and tuck it backwards under the (white) square beneath it.
Cut the end off the (gold) strip, then fold the last (white) strip over it to the left. Tuck this neatly behind the middle (white) strip.
Fold the middle (white) strip back, trim off the excess and tuck it backwards under the (white) square beneath it.
Repeat the process with the other side. I recommend turning the heart over so that you are working on the back of it.
And here is the finished heart! All of the ends should be neatly tucked in and held in place, so there is no need for any glue.
Will you have a go at making one of these adorable paper hearts? If so, what colours will you choose?
Happy crafting! ❤️
Suzanne
Esselle Crafts 