tic tac toe – penny style!

Well this morning was a bit yuck here in the tumbledown house – not helped by the fact that we are moving in two weeks, so there’s a huge, HUGE amount of stuff to do – and none of it’s fun!  So I decided that rather than tackle the 10 feet long to-do list and feel a bit more in control, I would make my tic tac toe tote.  And it was soothing …
I hunted out my trusty templates …

(you cannot go past expresso cups and medicine cups for trusty temples – unlike the plastic variety, of which I have many, I always know where to find these!)

Bravely cut out some prairie points … and I found a MUCH more satisying way to align and pin them …

(I placed the end folded point of the next PP at the mid point of the previous PP and pinned it on to the backing, not the top that folds over, the sewing machine will press that down nicely as I sew, just the inside point.)

Then I pondered how best to trim them – just a single layer of fabric would be too flimsy for the thickness of the prairie points, so I cut the trim quilt-binding style.  Two and a half inches, ironed in half …

At first I was going to align its raw edge with the raw edge of the prairie points but again, that would have added too much bulk, so I butted it from above, stitched it down with a half inch seam, and then ironed it over to cover the raw edge of the prairie points and I will slip stitch it into place.  Don’t know whether I’ll top stitch the top fold – probably not, I never like my top stitching, always looks mincy and mean.

On with the pennies – just red and blue, with matching threads – no colourful contrasts here.  After “penny-ing” so much lately, I now know I much prefer the top penny to be quite a bit smaller than the bottom penny – I like having that space around it.

A quick bit of stitching – before I pack up the project and head down to Nanny and Grandad’s for lunch.

And then, because I’m a dope, a little game of tic tac toe to see how it’s working …

… just fine!

Tonight, I will sew on the back and shoulder straps, line it and I shall make a little draw string bag that buttons onto the inside, in which to place the pebbles.  Little A will be able to take it along with her coin purse, novel and have a quick game if the occasion should arise.

I think these will be good gifts for Christmas!