Travel Tic-Tac-Toe
July 2012
1. Decide the approximate size you would like your tic-tac-toe board to be. One a sheet of paper, which is to serve as your pattern, create a square that size. Then on all four sides add your ¼ inch seam allowance if you want it on your pattern. I cut mine out at 5”.
2. Create the flap pattern piece using a square the same size as your original square (pre seam allowance). Put a dot in the center. You can then shape your flap as you wish. It can be a sharp triangle, it can be one not so sharp, which is what I chose, it can be curved or straight across.
You can cut that shape out and if you want to add your seam allowance to your pattern you can or to the fabric itself when you cut.
3. Prewash your fabric and iron. Cut out 4 of your squares from your fabric and 2 of your flap. Then you will need to add stability. You can use batting, felt, interfacing, etc. For mine I used felt. And my directions will be for using the felt. Cut out 2 squares and one flap of the felt. You will cut all these out slightly smaller than your pattern pieces as you do not want the bulk in your seam or seam allowance.
4. Take your 2 flap pieces, sew right sides together. I trimmed seam allowance close to reduce bulk with pinking shears (to reduce fraying). Turn, push points and edges. Insert your felt. If you wish to top stitch do so now.
5. Next we will sew the top seam of the front and back side of the pocket. These are 2 separate seams. Take your front and lay wrong sides together. Stitch. I trim my seam allowance again with pinkers. Turn. If it don’t want to lay well for you, press. Once turned I lay my felt between these 2 layers with the seam right side out. If you want to top stitch across that top edge do so now.
For the back side we have to sandwich our layers. Between your 2 backside layers in your seam you are going to sew you are going to center your flap. It will be between your layers so when you turn it after sewing it is facing the correct way. Also in this seam allowance you are going to catch your rick rack edges so they are in the finished seam allowance.
Turn once sewn.
6. Your flap now is as it should be. Let it hang loose to the top. We are now going to focus on the the back pieces. Put the piece of felt between them. Center it. Lay the rick rack down and stitch thru the 2 layers, and felt and stitch the them down. Then stitch down rick rack going in the other direction as well, making the tic tack design.
7. You now should have the front and the back. Down to 2 pieces. The front you still need to handle carefully so that your felt does not fall out of the middle of it.
Lay your front and back right sides together. The rickrack will be to the center. Sew around the 3 raw edges (bottom and sides) Reinforce the top sides since kids will be playing and using these. Trim seam allowance with pinkers or serge finish. Turn.
8. Apply your snap for closing. You could adjust your pattern/sewing if you prefer to do Velcro. Just keep in mind that Velcro makes noise, so if you are doing this for quiet times, the Velcro might be too noisy.
9. Then you need to decide what you want to use as playing pieces. You can cut felt, use buttons, etc. Put them in the pouch and you are good to go.
