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Tic Tac Toe Game Set

Completed terrycloth game board, featuring Tic Tac Toe X and O (In the Hoop) design

Tic Tac Toe is a classic game that is fun for all ages! Learn how to make your own with project instructions for in-the-hoop 'X' and 'O' pieces. We also show you how to construct your own board from scratch (not in-the-hoop)! All you need is fabric, ribbon, stabilizer, and thread to make it happen.

Supplies & Materials:

Project Needs & Notes:


  • 1/4 yard quilter's cotton, flannel, or similar fabric (for O's front fabric)
  • 1/4 yard quilter's cotton, flannel, or similar fabric (for X's fabric)
  • 1/4 yard felt (for "X" & "O" back fabric)
  • 3/4 yard of cotton fabric (for board)
  • 17.5in x 17.5in piece of cotton batting (for board)
  • 6ft of 3/8in ribbon (for board)
  • 3 yards of 1/2in double fold bias tape (optional)
  • Temporary Spray Adhesive (such as Gunold KK100)



  • Medium Weight Cutaway Stabilizer
  • Tear-away stabilizer
  • Embroidery Thread
  • Ruler
  • Fabric marking tool
  • Scissors
  • Craft knife
  • Cutting mat
  • Sewing clips and pins

The design featured in this tutorial is:


EMP80866-1, Tic Tac Toe X and O (In-the-Hoop)

Gather Materials:

The pieces of this design have been specially digitized for tear-away stabilizer. After the stabilizer is removed, beautiful fabric and embroidery remains.


Please note: For the in-the-hoop X and O design we've added a layer of cutaway stabilizer as well, precut to the size of the fabric, to add more stability to the finished pieces.

Yellow fabric O with stitched edges and pink fabric X with white daisy pattern and stitched edges on a dark gray fabric background.

When you download the in-the-hoop X & O design, you will find multiple files. Some are embroidery files, and others are dieline files marked with the letters "DL". Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the correct shape and size. Open and print each dieline file using embroidery software. If you do not have embroidery software, take a look at our helpful video on using dielines.

Two printed pattern sheets with diagram of concentric circles, a folded piece of yellow fabric, and a folded piece of white fabric on a gray surface.

First spray one side of a piece of cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive. Smooth the stabilizer onto the wrong side of the chosen front fabric.

Yellow square painted or printed on white fabric square with frayed edges, placed on a gray textured background.

Then spray the backside of the printed dieline with temporary adhesive, and smooth it onto the right side of the fabric. For this design, every front fabric piece of every X and O needs to have cutaway stabilizer on them.

White fabric square with a hand-drawn tic tac toe grid inside two yellow-bordered squares on a gray background.

For the O, use a craft knife and cutting mat to cut out the center opening.

Cutting mat with grid lines, a yellow fabric square on a white fabric square, a paper stencil with a circle and cross lines on the fabric, a cut-out circle piece, and a craft knife.

Then cut the dieline shape out of the adhered fabric and cutaway stabilizer. Remove the paper dieline.

Pair of gray and white scissors next to a yellow ring shape cutout on a gray textured fabric background.

For the back fabric pieces of every X and O, use the dieline to cut the shape out of felt. Using felt will help prevent the pieces from being too floppy.

Pair of gray and white-handled scissors next to a white circular ring with a hole in the center, both placed on a gray fabric surface.

Start Embroidering:

Next, hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer firmly. Make sure it is nice and tight with no wrinkles.

Embroidery hoop with white stabilizer fabric securely placed in the rectangular inner frame, positioned on a solid gray surface background.

Attach the hoop onto the machine, and load the first embroidery file (not the dieline files). Use a 75/11 sharp sewing needle instead of an embroidery needle. The sharp sewing needle has a finer point, and it will make smaller perforations in the stabilizer. Then embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be the "front piece dieline" (or outline stitch). This marks the area on the stabilizer where the fabric piece will be placed.

Embroidery machine stitching two concentric yellow circles on gray fabric secured in an embroidery hoop under the needle.

After the dieline has sewn, remove the hoop from the machine but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Spray the stabilizer side of the front fabric piece with temporary adhesive. Smooth the front fabric piece onto the hooped stabilizer inside of the sewn dieline.

Embroidery hoop with white stabilizer fabric hooped, showing a stitched yellow ring shape inside a rectangular embroidery frame on a gray surface.

Then place the hoop back onto the machine and embroider the tackdown for the front fabric piece. The tackdown will hold the fabric piece in place for the remainder of the design.

Close-up of an embroidery machine stitching a yellow circle with a hollow center on white fabric held in a hoop, with metal sewing parts visible.

Before sewing the "back piece tackdown" step, remove the hoop from the machine and turn it over so the back side of the embroidery is facing up. Spray the wrong side of the back fabric piece with temporary adhesive and smooth it into place on the back side of the embroidery.

Hand holding white felt circle with yellow stitching inside an embroidery hoop attached to a gray stabilizer sheet on a gray surface.

As both sides of the design will be seen, wind a bobbin to match the remaining thread color. Place it into the machine before embroidering the final two steps.

Spool of bright yellow thread lying on its side next to a small, circular bobbin also wound with yellow thread, both on a textured gray fabric background.

Then place the hoop back onto the machine and embroider the rest of the design using a matching bobbin.

Close-up of an embroidery machine stitching a yellow ring shape on white fabric, held in place by a rectangular embroidery hoop.

After embroidering, tear away the excess stabilizer from around the piece. Also remove the extra stabilizer from inside opening of the O piece.

Yellow fabric ring patch over a dark gray circle on a white felt background with rough edges. The patch has visible stitching and a textured surface.

Repeat the above steps to embroider a whole set of X's and O's for the tic tac toe game. You will need to embroider a total of 5 X's and 5 O's to make a whole set. If desired, sew out an extra of each piece in case you lose one.

Tic Tac Toe game pieces arranged on a gray surface: six yellow rings with openings and five pink X shapes with a white circular pattern.

To make the game board, cut out two cotton squares that measure 17.5" x 17.5". Also cut out a square of cotton batting that measures 17.5" x 17.5".

Two folded cloth squares, one white and two light blue, layered on a gray surface. No visible embroidery or markings. Simple, plain fabric pieces.

On the right side of one of the cotton squares, draw a line 6in away from any side using a temporary fabric marking tool. Make sure to draw it all the way from one edge of the fabric to the other.

Blue fabric square marked with a vertical and horizontal line using a blue fabric pen, with a yellow Omnigrid ruler placed at the bottom left corner, on a gray surface.

Then repeat to draw a line 6" away from the other 3 sides. This will be a guide to help place the final lines on the board.

Blue square fabric divided into a 3x3 grid with faint lines drawn on it, laying flat on a brown surface. A dual-tipped fabric marker with blue and purple caps rests on the fabric.

Once the lines are drawn, stack the two cotton squares and the batting with the batting in the middle. Make sure the right side of the cotton is facing out on both sides.

Light blue fabric square with faint grid lines forming a tic tac toe board, one corner lifted to reveal white backing, held by a hand on gray surface.

Then cut three 17.5" long pieces of 3/8" wide ribbon. Take two of those pieces and line them up over two of the drawn lines so that the drawn line matches up with the center of the ribbon. Pin the two ribbons in place and make sure to pin through all 3 layers of batting and fabric.

Light blue fabric square segmented into nine smaller squares by two strips of white bias tape pinned down with yellow headed pins, on a gray surface.

Then carefully sew along each side of the two ribbons to hold them in place. Make sure all three layers of fabric and batting stay smooth while sewing.

Close-up of a white sewing machine stitching along white strips pinned to teal fabric, with yellow pins securing the material on a dark brown surface.

Repeat to line up, pin, and sew down the remaining two ribbons over the last two lines. They will overlap the first two, creating the tic tac toe board pattern.

Light blue fabric square with a white grid of two vertical and two horizontal lines, forming nine equal squares, laid flat on a gray surface.

Then finish the edges of the board using bias tape or another method. There is a 3/8" - 1/2" of seam allowance planned into the size of the square. We used 1/2" double fold bias tape to finish all four edges.

Fabric tic tac toe game set with a blue grid bordered by white strips. Pink patterned X pieces are placed on the board, and yellow O pieces are off to the side. Background is gray.