Crafted with Love

by

Handmade gifts are an important part of my family’s holiday season as they were for the Shakers. I spend many quiet nights in December making gifts for our boys after they have gone to sleep. Now that they are getting older, they, too, make gifts for family members and friends. Last year, our 5-year-old painted wooden birdhouses for his grandmothers, and our 9-year-old baked cookies to share. Each year, my husband and I make jars of homemade raspberry cordial to give to friends, and we enjoy putting together care packages for friends who live in foreign lands.

Here is one simple gift that is easy to make and enjoyed by kids of all ages. It’s a great stocking stuffer, perfect for travel and has given my boys hours of fun over the years.

Wool Tic-Tac-Toe Board

A local craft store is a perfect place to buy wool by the yard. Don’t let the price scare you away. You won’t need much for this project. Alternatively, you could cut up an old pair of moth-holed trousers. You will need two opposing patterns of wool and a third bit of brightly colored wool.

Supplies

  • Nine squares of wool (four patterned, five solid) cut into 4x4-inch squares
  • Sewing machine or needle and thread
  • Wool for the “X’s” and “O’s” in a bright color

Instructions

  • Lay out the nine pieces of wool squares similar to what is pictured on opposite page.
  • Overlap the first two squares just enough to sew either a zigzag stitch with the sewing machine down the overlapping sides or hand stitch well down the middle between the two overlapping pieces.
  • Once they are securely stitched together, add the third block by overlapping the second and third together and sewing as before.
  • Keep building your tic-tac-toe board, as shown, by slightly overlapping the wool squares and sewing down the seams. The beauty of wool is that it won’t fray, so there is no need to finish the edges as you typically must do with cotton.
  • Once the board is complete, use an iron (set to a wool-friendly setting) and press the board flat. Set aside.
  • Using a pencil on the “wrong” side of the brightly colored wool, draw large “X” and “O” shapes. Determine the size of the letters by the size of the blocks they will sit on. Do not make the letters too narrow. Big and chunky are better for small hands.
  • Using a pair of sharp scissors, carefully cut out the wool letters.
  • Now you are ready to enjoy games of tic-tac-toe throughout the cold winter months.