Tic-tac-toe travel set
In the spirit of living more sustainably this re-usable version of tic-tac-toe can be used again and again without having to waste valuable paper.
missredfox has created two variants of this classic game – this miniature version, and a larger, outdoor version. Both are easy to create with your Brother ScanNCut and wonderfully suited to take on holiday with you. You can find the free ScanNCut tutorial for the large version of the game here.
Materials needed
- Red craft vinyl (vinyl foil): one piece approx. 20 x 15cm
- Dark blue craft vinyl (vinyl foil): one piece approx. 20 x 15cm
- Transfer film
- Red heat transfer vinyl (flex foil) – one piece approx. 15 x 15cm
- Blue heat transfer vinyl (flex foil) – one piece approx. 15 x 15cm (optional)
- 10 x flat stones (around 2cm diameter) – make sure they are smooth, clean and dry
- Flat wooden box (10 x 10cm – or large enough to fit nine stones)
- Cloth drawstring bag, large enough to accommodate the wooden box. We were lucky to find one with blue stripes – If you cannot find one, you could sew one from striped fabric or cut strips of blue heat transfer vinyl to add some lines.
Equipment needed
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Spatula
- Weeding hook tool
- Brother ScanNCut DX machine
- Vinyl Auto Blade (CADXBLDV1) and Vinyl Auto Blade Holder (available with Vinyl Auto Blade Kit CADXVBKIT1)
OR
- ScanNCut Auto Blade (CADXBLD1) and ScanNCut DX Auto Blade Holder (CADXHLD1)
- Standard Tack Adhesive Mat (CADXMATSTD12)
Download patterns / cutting files here
Bonus: I’ve not only prepared an X and an O for the tic-tac-toe pieces, but also three extra maritime designs that could be used instead.
How to
Step 1
We’ll start by making the game board grid. Attach the dark blue craft vinyl (vinyl foil) to the cutting mat.
Step 2
Transfer the cutting file to your ScanNCut. The file contains various elements. Save the file to your machine, then delete all parts except for the gird.
Step 3
On the settings screen of your ScanNCut DX model, make sure that ‘Half Cut’ is activated. Make sure that the cutting pressure of the half cut is set to ‘Auto’. If you are using a CM model, set your blade to cut only through the top layer of the vinyl.Tip: before you start a new project, always run a test cut to check that the settings you selected on your ScanNCut are suitable for the material you plan to cut. Position the test cut pattern in a position not overlapping the design. Once the test cut has finished, remove the cutting mat from the machine and check that the blade has cut only through the vinyl and not the backing sheet, and that the vinyl peels neatly away from the backing material. If you’re happy with the results, load the mat back into the machine, check that your placement of the design on the material is still good and start cutting your project. If the cutting result is not satisfactory, change the settings and repeat the test cut in a different position.
Step 4
Cut out the grid and carefully remove the vinyl from the cutting mat. Weed the pattern using the spatula and hook tools, until only the grid remains.
Step 5
Remove the backing of the transfer film (if any). Carefully stick the transfer film onto the weeded vinyl foil and smooth it down with the spatula. Cut any excess from the edges, then carefully peel away the backing paper of the vinyl foil. The grid will now be stuck to the transfer film. Place the grid onto the base of the box as pictured and smooth it out, again using the spatula. Carefully peel the transfer film away, leaving the vinyl design adhered to the box.
Step 6
Now it's time to make the game pieces. You need to create five pieces of each pattern. Attach the leftover piece of dark blue and the red piece of craft vinyl to the cutting mat.
Step 7
Load the design again from your saved files and delete the grid design. Place the X designs in the area where the blue vinyl is on your mat, and the O designs in the area where the red vinyl is. We chose to use the X and O shapes, but you could use the maritime patterns provided instead. The cutting settings remain unchanged.
Tip: use your ScanNCut’s background scanning function to make sure that the Xs and Os are placed correctly. If the designs fall outside of the area that the vinyl is stuck to, change the position of the cutting patterns before you cut them.
Step 8
Cut the designs, remove the mat from the machine and then peel the vinyl and backing from the cutting mat. Weed the backgrounds from the backing sheets using your weeding tools, leaving only the designs. Cut the backing material with scissors to separate each shape individually.
Step 9
Since the elements are very small, you don't need to use transfer foil. Use the hook tool to remove the individual designs from the carrier film and place each one onto the middle of one of your stones. Smooth them out with the spatula (or with your finger) to fix them into place.
Step 10
Finally, you can decorate the drawstring bag that’ll be used to store all the pieces of the tic-tac-toe board. In the same way that you cut out and created the game pieces above, cut four more X and O shapes out of the heat transfer vinyl (flex foil). Remember to place the vinyl with the vinyl side facing up! Weed and then attach them to the front of the bag with an iron.
The game is now ready to be packed in the bag and go with you on your holiday!
We hope you enjoyed this project – and don’t forget to make the matching fabric tic-tac-toe game, which can be found here.
I can’t wait to see what you make! Remember to tag in Brother on Instagram and Facebook, and myself too!
