This is a guest post by Betsy Burnett, #CrazyShoeboxLady for Operation Christmas Child. If you’ve never heard of OCC, read all about it! Plus, learn about how you can help kids around the world with year-round packing.
I love creating items to put into my shoebox gifts for Operation Christmas Child. I believe I put a piece of my heart into every item I make. Who better to give a piece of my heart to than a child in need?
Operation Christmas Child typically receives the least amount of boxes for children in the 10-14 year old age range. Having four kids of my own, my guess for this occurrence would be simply — what do you get (or make) a child that age?
For year round shoebox packers and filler item collectors, I wanted to come up with a project that would answer that question.
This roll-up checkerboard fits the bill. Perfect for a boy or a girl it can even be personalized by the colors you choose, or the items you use for checkers.
Roll-up DIY Checkerboard
Materials:
- Fabric placemat at least 12” x 18”
- Checkerboard stencil from Plaid Crafts “Farm Life Collection”
- Acrylic Paint (Folk Art)
- Stencil Brush
- Masking Tape
- Paper Plate
- Therm-o-Web Peel and Stick Fabric Fuse 5/8” – Plus, enter our giveaway to win this!
- 24” length of Ribbon
- Markers, Buttons, tokens etc. (12 each of 2 different colors)
Optional:
- Iron
- 2-3 -VELCRO® Brand 0.75” Sew-On Coins
Directions:
- Make sure placemat is clean and ironed flat if necessary.
- With placemat facing you lengthwise, position the checkerboard stencil on one end of the placemat and tape stencil in place using masking tape.
- Using stencil brush, apply paint to the stenciled areas, remove stencil and allow to dry.
- Apply 2- 2 inch pieces of Fabric Tape to the non painted end of the placemat. Fold non painted end of placemat up to the checkerboard to form a pocket. Apply firm pressure to taped areas to make sure the adhesive bond is secure.
- Fill the pocket with the pieces you have decided to use for checkers and roll up board. Mark area on back side you wish to place the ribbon tie. Remove checkers. Apply 1 1/2 inch piece of fabric tape to middle of ribbon (you might have to trim or fold over the adhesive depending on the width of your ribbon.) Place ribbon unto area marked, and apply firm pressure to secure adhesive.
Optional:
- Once rolled up most normal sized tokens being used for checker pieces should stay in place for storage.
- For bulkier pieces, apply a .75″ sew-on VELCRO® coin along the edge of the pocket using fabric fuse.
- For storage: place pieces inside of pocket and roll up. Tie ribbon to secure.
For additional tips on creating your roll-up checkerboard, read here.
A HUGE THANK-YOU to Plaid Crafts providing the stencils, brushes and paint, and Therm-o-web for providing Fabric Fuse for this project!
More crafts from Operation Christmas Child
Betsy shared easy crafts perfect for OCC shoeboxes! Check out her tutorials:
Have you ever crafted for a good cause?
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