This heart basket is beautiful and easy to make, once you get the hang of it. You can make it out of paper or felt (for a long-lasting basket). Younger kids need help doing this project.
These baskets can be used as party favors, filled with candy, or even as a craft to make during a party. You may want to do the marking and/or cutting before the party if younger children are involved.
- Two pieces of paper, each a different color (or use felt)
- A pen or pencil
- Scissors
- Glue or a stapler
Instructions
For each basket, you’ll need 2 strips of colored paper (use 2 different colors). Fold each piece of paper in half. Cut the folded paper into two halves (along the dotted line), into long rectangles. The exact dimensions of the paper rectangles don’t matter as long as the two pieces that make a basket are the same size.
Place the 2 folded rectangles on top of each other, rotated 90° from each other. Draw a thin pencil line along the edge of one side onto the other rectangle.
Place the rectangles exactly on top of each other, making sure that the folds are on top of each other.
Mark each strip as shown in the picture. The number of strips you cut and their width doesn’t really matter; just make each strip at least 1/2 inch wide so they don’t break too easily. Cut along the new dotted lines.
In regular weaving, strands are woven “under” and “over” each other; in this basket the weaving is “through” and “around.”
Start the weaving by weaving strip 1 through slit A, around strip B, through slit C, etc., until the row is finished. Push this row to the back, where the slits end.
Continue the weaving with strip B. Weave it through slit 1, around strip 2, through slit 3, etc., until this row is finished. Continue until all the rows are done.
Cut a strip of paper (about 1/2 inch by 6-7 inches) for the basket’s handle. Glue or staple it to the front and back of the basket.
