To me, summer is all about getting outside, especially as a family. Whether you’re planning beach days, pool parties or barbecues this summer, you can play your favorite games outdoors with this simple way to make a DIY checker board that quickly contains the game pieces in a drawstring bag!
Although this is a sewing tutorial, it’s not an overly complicated one. The hardest part of this DIY is feeding the string through the sewn section of the bag to create a drawstring, and it just takes a little elbow grease. Otherwise, it’s just a little paint!
Materials:
- 1 yard canvas fabric
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Sewing machine
- Pins
- 3 feet of rope
- All-purpose acrylic paint
- Paint brush
- Checkers game pieces
- Painters tape
- Ruler
- Spray paint (optional)
Step
First, spray paint game pieces if desired. The average game comes with red and black pieces, so I decided to switch it up with teal and gold game pieces instead.
Step
Fold the canvas fabric in half, then into quarters. Use a ruler or measuring tape to measure about an 8-inch quarter-circle edge from the folded sections and mark with a pencil. Cut along this line and unfold to reveal the full circle of fabric.
Step
All around the edges of the circle, fold a 1-inch seam and pin. This seam must be thick enough for the rope to thread through. Designate one area as the opening for the rope and cut a slit in the folded over seam.
Step
Sew along the inward edge of the seam all the way around the circle. Start and stop at the cut slit. DO NOT sew over it.
Step
Thread the end of the rope through the opening in the seam and use your fingers to slowly guide it through the seam around the bag until it reaches the other end. This may take a while.
Step
Now, use the ruler to draw a 12-inch square in the middle of the open bag. You can do this on either side, but I recommend the inside (where the seam is).
Step
Outline the square in painters tape. Then measure 8 rows of 1-1/2 inch squares to create the game board. Use the tape to paint the squares in sections, pulling it back as needed to paint the different sections.
NOTE, the paint will probably leak through the fabric to create the checkers pattern on both sides, so make sure your workspace is properly covered.
Let paint dry completely, and then the game is ready to play!
Take your newly colored checkers game pieces and play a game anywhere you go, and simply pull the drawstring to pack up the pieces inside of the bag and be on your way!
