Supplies
Tools
- Sewing kit
- Oven
- Fabric pencil
- Embroidery needle
- Ruler
- Cookie cutter (or a coin) to cut out the checkers from the Fimo clay
- Sewing machine (optional)
Materials
- 1 square of cotton fabric, 36 cm (14-3/16 inches) each side
- 1 square of cotton fabric, 36 cm (14-3/16 inches) each side, for the lining
- 1 strip of fabric measuring 144 x 4 cm (56-11/16 x 1-9/16 inches), from the same fabric as the lining
- White embroidery thread (and black if you want to embroider black squares)
- White and black Fimo clay
- Matching sewing thread
- Aluminum foil
Directions
Game board for Chequers game
- With a fabric pencil, draw a margin of 3 cm (1-3/16 inches) around the main fabric. This will give you with a 30-cm (11-7/8 inches) square.
- Draw horizontal and vertical lines every 3 cm (1-3/16 inches) within this square.
- Stitch over these lines with a couching stitch. This will give you 100 squares.
- Embroider every other square as you wish: here, geometrical motifs inspired by Bogolan, a Malian fabric-dyeing method, are used.
- From the lining fabric, cut out 2 strips measuring 36 x 4 cm (14-3/16 x 1-9/16 inches) and 2 strips measuring 35 x 4 cm (13-3/4 x 1-9/16 inches).
- Make a double fold in the strips, bringing each end to meet in the center. Flatten the folds with an iron.
- Sew the fabric strips around the game board and its lining, joining them together.
Characters for chequers game
- With a cookie cutter, cut 20 white and 20 black checkers from Fimo clay.
- Cook them in the oven at 140°C (285°F) for 30 minutes and check to make sure they're thoroughly cooked.
NB: If they're a little thick, cook them longer.
- Make a carrying case for the game board and the checkers.
Tips
- Instead of Fimo clay, use colored pebbles, seeds, or small shells as checkers.
- To make the game board more quickly, draw the squares on 3D fabric with a felt-tip pen.
Source: "Les tutos de Pamina" ("Pamina's Tutorials")