things to do with embroidery...part twelve...

I can't believe that a month has passed since I last posted one of these "things to do with embroidery"! This one has been on my mind for a while, and I've been working on it, but I've been slow to stitch it. What I have to share is a embroidered game. Tic Tac Toe to be exact. I'll start out with the pattern and my simple tutorial. But be sure to read all the way down for more exciting ideas!



What you'll need:

Download the Free Pattern
Felt (a 9x12 sheet will be enough...I've used wool felt for mine)
Embroidery Floss



Print your pattern and cut apart each of the pieces. Be sure to leave a border of white around the Xs and Os, and a bit extra around the board. You'll stitch through the paper and the felt at the same time, so you can also use the paper as a pattern for how you'll cut the pieces out of the felt.

Note: I'm showing this with regular copy paper, but it's a lot easier if you trace the pattern onto tracing paper because it's much easier to tear away.



You can attach the felt to another piece of fabric to hide your stitches (this will make your game extra special!) or, you can just be really careful with your stitching so that it is nice and tidy on the back.

When you've finished all of your embroidering, carefully tear away the paper. Take extra care around the faces.



Now, you're all set to play some Tic Tac Toe! And because this is on felt, the pieces will stick to the board, which makes it nice for traveling! In fact, if you wanted to, you could sew a plain pouch the same size as your board, with a bit of velcro or such at the opening, and attach it to the back of the board. It could hold all of the pieces in it!

This is just one game idea for embroidery. The truth is, there are so many games you could do. Chess would be amazing. Or a game similar to Cootie. How about Memory?

I'd really like to make an all embroidered version of Candyland. But can you imagine? It would end up being a lifetime project! Instead I may work on my own version of a board game. We'll see...

What other games or game pieces could you embroider?