Make Your Own Woven Swedish Christmas Heart Basket Ornaments

These Swedish Heart Baskets are a classic Scandinavian Christmas ornament. We have 70-year-old family pictures of a tiny Christmas tree decorated with these heart baskets and traditional Swedish flag garlands. I learned how to make these Christmas ornaments from my grandmother, and hope to someday teach my grandchildren this great Swedish Christmas tradition. It's easier to weave lightweight paper so don't use cardstock for this craft.

Swedish Heart Basket Materials
One 8 ½ x 11 sheet red paper
One 8 ½ x 11 sheet white paper
Scissors, ruler and pencil
Glue

Swedish Heart Basket Template

Fold the red piece of paper in half lengthwise. Cut a 3 inch wide by 11 inch long strip, folded in half to measure 3 x 5 ½". Mark lines ¾ inch apart and 3" wide from the foldline to just under halfway up the open end. Cut along these lines. Cut off the corners of the open, unfolded end to slightly round that end. Repeat with the piece of white paper. You'll have two folded pieces of paper, with four loops at one end and a rounded open end.

Weaving the Swedish Heart Basket

Hold the red piece on the left, rounded edge up and to the left and fold line down and to the right. Hold the white piece on the right, rounded edge up and to the right and fold line down and to the left. Take the leftmost loop of the white piece. Slide it through the top red loop, around the second red loop, through the third red loop, and around the bottom red loop.

Take the next white loop over and slide it around the top red loop, through the second red loop, around the third red loop, and through the fourth red loop. As you weave the loops into place, push the white loops up and to the left to make room for the next row.

Take the third white loop and slide it through the top red loop, around the second red loop, through the third red loop, and around the fourth red loop.

The final row of this Swedish heart basket is a little tricky as space is tight. Wiggling and gently pushing the pieces, weave the last white loop around the top red loop, through the second red loop, around the third red loop and through the fourth and final red loop. You may reach inside the heart basket at this point to adjust the last few loops into place.

Attach a Handle to Hang the Basket on the Christmas Tree

Cut a strip of red paper ¾ inch wide and 11 inches long. Fold the strip in half lengthwise and using a dot of glue on each side of the basket, glue the handle to the inside of the basket. Allow to dry, and the Swedish heart basket is ready to hang on your Christmas tree!

Swedish Heart Basket Christmas Variations

The appearance of the Swedish heart basket can be varied by using different colored paper to match your Christmas decorating scheme. The baskets can also be made in any size. Make a monster basket using legal paper, or a miniature basket.

A great way to reuse old Christmas cards is to cut half of the basket out of an old card. Pair with white or colored paper for a striking heart basket.

For variations in the weaving pattern, cut loops of different widths. The pictured basket has six loops, ½ inch, ¼ inch, ¾ inch, ¾ inch, ¼ inch, ½ inch to create a pattern reminiscent of Swedish embroidery.