How to Make a Paper Heart Garland

For a beautiful, inexpensive Valentine’s day decoration, make a paper heart garland. Any paper can be used for the hearts, from designer scrapbook paper to plain white copy paper. Print letters on the hearts to spell out a message, arrange colored hearts in a pattern or vary the sizes of the hearts for interest. Hang a finished paper heart garland across the top of a window, doorway, mantle or china cabinet.

Things You'll Need

• 20 sheets of paper
• Heart template
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Sewing machine
• Thread

Instructions

1. Lay a piece of paper right side down on a flat surface. Place the heart template on top the paper in the bottom left corner.

2. Trace around the heart template with the pencil. If there is enough blank space on the page, move the heart template over and trace another heart in the blank space. Repeat until the entire sheet of paper is covered with hearts. Repeat on three additional sheets of paper. Place the four heart-drawn papers aside.

3. Place four clean sheets of paper in a stack and place one of the heart-drawn papers on top the stack. Pick up the stack of papers and hold them together in your non-dominant hand. Pick up the scissors with your dominant hand and cut through the entire stack of papers along the pencil-drawn lines to cut out the hearts. Place the paper hearts aside. Repeat with the remaining clean sheets of paper and heart-drawn papers.

4. Place one of the paper hearts on the sewing machine with the right side facing up and the curved end of the heart near the sewing needle. Use a straight stitch and stitch across the top of the paper heart. When the sewing needle reaches the opposite end of the heart, allow the sewing needle to sew four empty stitches.

5. Place another paper heart into sewing machine. Sew across it the same way as you did the first heart and sew another four empty stitches at the end of this heart. Repeat for each of the remaining paper hearts.

6. Cut the thread and remove the paper heart garland from the sewing machine.

Tips & Warnings

• For a super fast heart garland, sew paper heart doilies together.