Tic-Tac-Toe Valentine

I love felt.  I love that it is cheap.  I love that it comes in so many rich colors.  I love that you can poke small holes in it, and shortly thereafter they are practically non-existent.  I love that felt doesn’t fray.  I love, love, love, love felt.
When I was a kid, my mother made these valentines with my sister and me.  They were fun to make, and play with later.  This easy to make tic-tac-toe board is also a pocket to hold the pieces in.  This would make a great addition to the diaper bag, or church bag for a quiet game to play.  These are so fun and inexpensive, you will want to make them for all of your valentines this year.  Maybe you will even want to host a Valentine’s Day party so that everyone can make and decorate their own.
Materials/Supplies

• 2 pieces red felt
• 1 piece white felt
• 1 piece pink felt
• Scissors
• Sewing supplies (either a machine, or needle and thread)
• 5/8 inch thick pink ribbon
• Optional—yarn and large yarn sewing needle

Directions

1. Cut a large heart out of one piece of red felt.  I folded the felt in half and cut 1/2 a heart, so I would have two even sides.

2. Place the cut heart on top of the other piece of red felt.  Cut the second piece to match the heart.
3. Now you need to make the tic-tac-toe board.  I used a fatter stitch to make the four lines of the board.  I just eyeballed where I wanted the lines to go, but you can measure for exact sizes.  It will all depend on the size of your original hearts.***Let the kids do this part with a large needle and yarn.  You could use a pencil to draw a line for them to sew along.***

4. Using a 1/2” seam allowance, sew around the outside of both hearts leaving the top open for the pocket.

5. Cut 5 small hearts out of the pink felt and 5 out of the white felt.  I made a template from a scrap of red felt, then I cut all the other hearts to match.  You will want the small hearts to fit between the lines of your tic-tac-toe board.

6. I embellished the edge with the ribbon.  I pinned the ribbon in between the two sides of the felt heart, and pleated as I pinned.  Then I sewed around the edge again placing my presser foot on the edge of the original stitching.

7. Decorate according to your supplies and tastes.  I decided to sew little “x’s” and “o’s” along the opening for the pocket before I sewed the two pieces together.

8. Place the small heart pieces inside your valentine and give to a loved one.  (Take pictures of course, then email them to me, so I can show how you designed your own style)