Learning how to shape pom poms is a next-level pom pom skill, and a heart is a great shape to start with!

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, we wanted to share with you our favorite way to make heart-shaped pom poms and even demonstrate how easy it is to turn your finished heart poms into a festive Valentine’s Day garland!

Heart pom poms make for a sweet decoration on Valentine’s gifts for loved ones, or turn them into playful accessories like keychains, bag charms, earrings, and more!

Let’s dive into how to make heart pom poms.

DIY HEART POM POMS

YOU’LL NEED:

• Loome Pom Pom & Tassel tool* or cardboard
• Yarn (we’re using Omegacryl in this tutorial)*
• Embroidery floss* or other strong string
• Sharp scissors
• Cardboard
• Pen or pencil
• Bowl or tray to catch trimmings
• Yarn needle* (for garland)
• Worsted or bulky weight yarn (for garland)

*Included in our Pom Pom & Tassel Starter Kit!

Start your pom pom by wrapping A LOT of yarn around the narrow side of a Loome tool or cardboard cut into a U shape. If you’re using Omegacryl, wrap 250 rotations (or 125 rotations using the outside AND inside tails [6-ply total]).

Use a piece of embroidery floss or other strong string to tie your yarn bundle in the middle. To get your pom super tight, be sure to remove your yarn from your Loome tool before pulling it tight so that your yarn can condense all the way (right photo). The most important step in making a pom pom of any shape is tying it super tightly. 

You can find detailed steps on how to tie a pom pom here in this tutorial!

Secure your string with a double knot and trim the excess string close to the knot. Your yarn bundle is now what we call a pom pom pancake!

Set your pom pom pancake aside for the moment. Now it’s time to make a heart-shaped trim guide!

Fold a piece of paper in half. Along the fold, trace the top and bottom of your Loome tool (the side that you wrapped around). This will ensure your trim guide isn’t larger than your pom pom. Next, draw half of a heart in between the two lines.

Cut out the heart half and open it to reveal a full heart! Trace the heart onto a piece of cardboard, then cut it out using craft or paper scissors. (Keep your yarn scissors sharp by only using them to cut fiber!)

Now it’s time to begin the pom pom trimming process! Grab a tray or bowl to catch your scraps as you trim.

Start by trimming open all the loops on the perimeter of your pom pom pancake. Be sure to cut all the interior loops as well! (We say: if it’s a loop, cut it!)

IMPORTANT: Try your best to avoid fluffing out your pom pom as you trim the loops. If you can keep your pom pom flat, that next step will be a lot easier.

Now it’s time to use your heart-shaped trim guide!

IMPORTANT: In order to be able to string your pom poms into a garland, hold your trimmed open pom pom so that the embroidery floss is vertical (as in the left photo above). Then place the cardboard heart upright on top of your pom pom, centered on top of the embroidery floss.

Little by little, carefully trim straight down along the V of the heart until both sides are smooth.

Round out the top of the heart to create an upside-down teardrop shape (right photo). Next, carefully cut into the top V of your heart with your scissors. You may want to employ a small scissor for this part to help with the delicate shaping.

Set aside your trim guide. Clean up your heart shape by trimming away any long pieces and shaping your heart to your liking.

TIP: Less is more when it comes to trimming. You can always cut away more but you can’t add back what you’ve trimmed away. Be sure to trim slowly, thoughtfully, and in tiny snips.

Your pom pom should now be a heart shape but with the middle string still exposed. In the next step, you’ll fluff and trim the front and back of your pom to hide that string from sight.

Fluff out the front and back of your pom. (The heart shape will disappear temporarily.) Carefully trim straight down to make the front and back of your pom flat again. This part will take a little patience and cleaning up your heart as you go.

REMEMBER: Less is more when it comes to trimming. You can always cut away more but you can’t add back what you’ve trimmed away. Be sure to trim slowly, thoughtfully, and in tiny snips.

Clean up the top V of your heart now that there are new long parts sticking up. Use small snips to give your heart a final shaping and clean up until you’re satisfied with how it looks.

Tada!!!!! A fluffy heart pom, perfect for gifting your Valentines or turning into a sweet decoration!

To turn your heart poms into a garland, thread a length of worsted- or bulky-weight yarn onto a yarn needle. Enter your pom pom horizontally, like an arrow through a heart! (Remember when we noted to keep your embroidery floss upright for trimming — this tip makes turning your heart pom poms into a garland a piece of cake!)

String on as many heart pom poms as you like! If your hearts flip upside-down when you go to hang your garland, try wigging the garland yarn up towards the top of each heart.

Voila!!! A sweet heart pom pom garland to add some love and Valentine’s Day vibes to your space!

Questions? Comments? Leave them in the comments below!

We can’t wait to see your heart pom poms! Be sure to tag your heart pom pom creations on Instagram @theneonteaparty!

Happy Valentine’s Day, friends!!!

Peace, love & neon,
Marisa