Moda Fabrics Tic Tac Toe Ten 4” Bean Bag X’s and O’s Quilt - Downloadable PDF

Moda Fabrics Tic Tac Toe Ten 4" Bean Bag X's and O's Quilt – Free Downloadable PDF Pattern

This free downloadable PDF pattern from Moda Fabrics offers a playful and functional quilting project: a complete set of ten 4" fabric bean bags shaped as X's and O's for a life-sized game of Tic Tac Toe. Rather than a traditional bed or wall quilt, this intermediate-level project produces a set of small, weighted playing pieces that are as fun to make as they are to use. The finished bean bags are filled with sand, walnut shells, or another scrap filling of your choice, giving them satisfying weight and toss-ability during game play.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces ten 4-inch square bean bags — five representing X's and five representing O's — designed to be used as game pieces in a game of Tic Tac Toe. A simple washi tape grid marked on any flat surface completes the game board, making this an entirely portable and self-contained activity. The design is clever in its simplicity: the X and O shapes are created through strategic fabric placement and piecing rather than appliqué or embroidery, allowing the contrasting fabrics to do the visual work.

Techniques Used

• Half-square triangle construction: Squares from the mini-charm pack are cut in half on the diagonal to create triangle units, a foundational quilting technique used to build geometric shapes and visual contrast within each bean bag top.
• Precision cutting: Both the mini-charm pack squares and the contrasting fat eighth rectangles require careful, measured cutting — including diagonal cuts — to ensure the X and O shapes read clearly in the finished pieces.
• Small-scale piecing: Working with 4" finished squares and narrow 1" x 3.5" rectangles demands accurate seam allowances and careful pressing, making this a great skill-builder for quilters comfortable with intermediate-level precision work.
• Bean bag construction and filling: Each bean bag is backed with a 4.5" batting square cut from a batting scrap, then filled with a weighted material such as sand or walnut shells before final closure — combining basic quilting assembly with a functional craft finish.
• Color theory and design planning: The pattern encourages makers to consider intentional color play before stitching, suggesting warm versus cool tone separation or purely shape-based distinction between the X and O teams.

Stitches and Construction Details

• Straight-line machine stitching is used throughout for piecing the triangle units and rectangle strips that form the X and O designs.
• Standard quilting seam allowances apply when joining the mini-charm triangles and the contrasting fabric rectangles into the finished 4" square tops.
• Final bean bag assembly involves stitching the pieced top to the batting-backed base, leaving an opening for filling before completing the closure seam.

Materials Required

The pattern is designed to make excellent use of small fabric quantities, charm packs, and scraps — ideal for using up leftovers from larger quilting projects.

• Mini-Charm Pack: One standard mini-charm pack (42 pieces) is required; 40 squares are selected and cut diagonally into triangles. Note: If using Thatched Mini-Charms, which contain only 30 pieces rather than the standard 42, two mini-charm packs will be needed.
• Fat Eighth — dark contrasting fabric: Used for the X game pieces; yields five 4" squares and twenty 1" x 3.5" rectangles.
• Fat Eighth — light contrasting fabric: Used for the O game pieces; cut to the same dimensions as the dark contrasting fabric.
• Fat Quarter of batting: Cut into ten 4.5" squares to back each individual bean bag.
• Scrap filling: Sand, walnut shells, or a similar weighted filling material to stuff the finished bean bags.

Pattern Format and Difficulty

This pattern is available as a free downloadable PDF from Moda Fabrics and is rated at an intermediate difficulty level. The small scale of the pieces and the need for accurate diagonal cutting and narrow rectangle piecing make it best suited for quilters who are