How to Make Portable Games

Measure and cut your felt into a rectangle that is at least 20 inches by 11 inches. Place the rectangle on a flat surface with the long side situated horizontally in front of you. Starting from one of the short edges, measure four inches in and mark with a chalk line. Fold the short end of the felt over to meet the chalk line, forming a 4-inch pocket. Glue the two side seams together using your fabric glue and leave the top open so game pieces can be stored inside.

Measure an 8- by 8-inch square on your felt, avoiding the pocket area. Mark your lines with chalk. Cut a 1- by 1-inch square from your sponge. Dip the sponge in your white fabric paint and press it on to one corner of the square you have just drawn on your felt. Move down the line one inch, then stamp an second square. Continue this movement, creating a checkerboard pattern of alternating black and white squares until your area is filled. There will be four white squares and four black squares on each side.

Draw a tic-tac-toe board on the pocket of the board with one of your puffy fabric paints. The tic-tac-toe board is made by drawing two perpendicular horizontal lines and two perpendicular vertical lines that intersect. Allow your checkerboard and tic-tac-toe board to dry.

Brush off your chalk guidelines once the paint has dried and turn the board over.

Place your round dinner plate onto the felt and trace around it with the chalk. This will be the outer circle of your target. Trace three more circles inside the large circle, each one smaller than the previous. You can measure these with a compass or trace other small items such as a saucer, bowl and cup.

Trace around each of the four circles with a different color of puffy fabric paint. Write a number inside each circle with puffy paint to indicate a point value. The small center circle will be the bull&'s eye and should be labeled as "20." Move to the next circle and write "15," then "10" and finally "5" on the largest circle. Allow the paint to dry.

Attach your ribbon tie to the board by cutting a small slit in the end opposite the pocket. Thread the ribbon halfway through the slit and then knot it securely so you have two equal sections of ribbon dangling from the slit.

Place your nickels and pennies into the pocket. Roll up the felt board, starting with the pocket end. Secure with the tie.