Travel Checker Board

This is one of those ideas that has been bouncing around in my head for a while.  When I was little we had a tic-tac-toe board that was felt.  It was so cute, and we all love to play with it.  I'm not sure who made it but I would guess it was hand made.

I would still like to make a tic-tac-toe board, but my 5 year old has been begging me to teach him how to play checkers.  So, a checker board it is. 

It was really easy to make.  I took two sheets of felt I got at Wal-Mart for $.20 a piece, obviously one in black and one in red.

{I didn't do this step, however if I were doing it again I would,
Iron Heat and Bond to the back of the red sheet of felt before cutting.}
Cut the red into one inch strips with a rotary cutter.  Then cut the same red strips into one inch squares, tips on that here.  You will need 32 one inch squares.

Arrange the one inch red squares on the black felt in a checker board pattern.
If you used Heat and Bond, then you would peel off the paper and iron the squares down before you start to sew.  If not  pin down the squares as best you can.  Sew in a diagonal line down the middle of the red squares.

This should only take up 3/4 of your black felt.  Fold the left over felt under and sew down the sides. Now you have a pocket to keep your checker pieces in.

For the checker pieces you can use anything, buttons, pieces of felt, plastic dinosaurs (how cool would that be).  I used pop bottle lids, with a little washi tape added.  This way we can change them up or use something else later if we want.  I got my bottle caps from  Pick Your Plum.

 The kids seem pretty excited to play.  How about you, want a game?

When you get finished put all the pieces back in the pocket, roll it up, tie it with some bakers twine and you are ready to go.

Thanks for stoppin' by and hangin' out.

I will be linking up to these fantastic parties.