Christmas hearts without a printer
Use a tablet as a lightbox: lay thin paper over the template on screen and trace the lines. Then use your tracing as a cutting template on coloured paper. This guide follows the classic heart with three strips.
What you need
- A tablet or computer screen large enough to display the whole template.
- Tracing paper or a thin, light sheet through which you can see the lines.
- A soft pencil, a ruler and optional tape for a tablet case that can tolerate it.
- Paper in two colours, scissors and paper clips. An extra paper strip and glue for the handle.
From screen to cutting template
Open the PDF template, even though you will not print it. Step 1:Open the template on screen
Choose a heart in the gallery and select “Download PDF template”. Open the downloaded PDF on your tablet or computer. You need the drawing with cutting lines and a fold line, rather than the picture of the finished heart.
Start with the classic 3×3 heart. Its cuts are straight and both colours use the same template.
Measure the width on screen, then keep the same zoom. Step 2:Choose the size once
Zoom until the whole template fits on screen. For the classic heart, you might choose a width of 6 cm and check it with a ruler. Lay the tablet flat on a stable surface. Adjust the screen brightness until the lines show clearly through your paper.
Keep the same zoom, screen orientation and view when tracing a second template half. “100%” on screen does not guarantee a particular measurement in centimetres.
Thin paper over the screen. Tape attaches to the case. Step 3:Keep the paper still
Place a single sheet of tracing paper over the template. Hold it with your free hand. If your tablet has a case that tolerates tape, attach the paper to the case with two small pieces. Keep tape off the screen itself. Check that the paper stays in place.
On an upright computer screen, you need to hold the paper still without pressing against the display. A tablet lying flat is easier to work on.
Does the image move as you trace?
On iPad, Guided Access can temporarily disable touch. Set the PDF view and size first, then follow Apple’s instructions to start and end the session. Enable touch again when you need to move to another template.
Apple’s guide to Guided AccessCopy the outline, cutting lines and dashed fold line. Step 4:Trace every line
Trace the rounded top and straight sides first. Then trace each internal cutting line all the way to its endpoint. Draw the fold line as dashes and write “fold” next to it. Use light pencil strokes without pressing. Carefully lift a corner to check you have copied every line.
If the heart has two different templates, trace both at the same scale and label them “left” and “right”. Do not resize each one separately to fill the screen.
On the table: cut only the outline of the loose tracing. Step 5:Cut out your paper template
Take the paper completely off the screen and put it on the table. Cut out the traced template around the rounded top, sides and straight bottom at the fold line. Leave the internal cutting lines uncut so the template stays in one piece.
You are only cutting the loose tracing paper here. The coloured paper comes in the next step. Always use scissors and craft knives away from the screen.
The straight bottom of the template sits on the fold. Step 6:Place the template on folded paper
Fold your coloured paper in half. Place the straight bottom of the paper template exactly along the fold, with the rounded top pointing into the paper. Hold it with paper clips away from the cutting lines. The template sits on top of both layers of folded paper.
The fold is where the two layers are joined. Do not confuse it with the two loose edges of the sheet.
Cut in from the fold. Both paper layers form loops. Step 7:Cut two halves and weave the heart
Cut around the rounded top and both sides, through the template and both layers of coloured paper. Then cut from the fold along each internal line to its endpoint. Remove the template and keep the coloured paper folded. Make the other half in the second colour, then follow the weaving guide.
Do not cut the fold off the coloured paper. Each strip must remain a loop. For the classic heart, you can also use the first half, still folded, as a template for the second.
Ready to weave
You now have two folded halves with intact loops. Go straight to the weaving steps in the main guide.
Which paper can you trace onto?
Can I use ordinary paper?
Try a thin sheet of white paper. Visibility depends on the paper, screen brightness and room lighting. Tracing paper is made for copying lines through a sheet and is a useful starting point. Pressing harder will not help if the lines are hard to see.
What about baking paper or sandwich paper?
Baking paper can be slippery, slide around and resist pencil marks. Parchment and sandwich papers also come with different surfaces. Test a scrap before tracing the whole pattern. Choose paper that lets you both see and draw the lines clearly.
Can I trace directly onto glossy craft paper?
Only if every line shows clearly through one layer. Try the reverse side before starting. Glossy paper may be too opaque; a separate paper template is then easier. Leave enough paper for both layers. Fold only after tracing so the crease meets the marked fold line exactly.
Can I use transparency film and a marker?
Clear film lets you see the template but needs a pen that writes on plastic. Keep ink off the screen and avoid smudging. A plastic template also needs an extra step to transfer its internal cuts onto the coloured paper. This guide uses paper so you can cut through it together with the coloured sheet.
What if I only have a phone?
A phone gives you less room. Choose a simple pattern whose whole template and lines are clearly visible at once. Tiny strips are harder to cut and weave. If it is too small, use a larger screen or ask someone with a printer to print the PDF.