I learned how to make Swedish heart baskets as a kid in Fargo. One of the few museums in Fargo, the Hjemkomst Center, is a Scandinavian museum and cultural center. One year around Christmas time, my family visited, and a woman was leading a make and take craft table where she showed kid me how to make paper Swedish heart baskets. The project I’m about to show you is my first whack at making these since childhoood, but they’re really easy and quick. You just need scissors and felt and about 15 minutes.
If you’re curious, the Swedish name for these are jhartkorgar and they’re used as Christmas ornaments, stuffed with small gifts, or strung as a holiday banner.
Instead of making them with the traditional paper, and since I’m making them for the wrong holiday anyway, I opted for cute color combinations of felt with this project.
Supplies
2 paper-sized sheets of felt in contrasting color
fabric scissors
Directions
Cut your felt in half lengthwise (assuming it’s 8 1/2 by 11 inches). Fold in half and round each end into a heart shape. Lay the rounded piece over the uncut piece of felt, both folded in half. Cut the second piece of felt to match the first.
Trim the folded ends of each piece in to three equal parts, as shown.
Weave the strips together one by one…
If you’ve got lumpy ends once everything is all set, like in the pics above, grab a scissors and carefully make your strip cuts a little longer with a couple snips. Carefully pull on the heart until it’s all flat.
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When you’ve got it all lined up, you’re done! The felt naturally sticks together, so no glue is necessary to hold this together. The finished project opens up in a pocket/basket-like way, great for giving candy or small gifts to friends and loved ones. Happy Valentine’s Day, guys!
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