I really enjoy embroidery- it’s a fun way to create art AND it’s portable for car rides or kid’s soccer games or waiting rooms. So I decided to marry my love of embroidery with my board game books and see if I could make a DIY embroidered board game book! I wanted to do one of my favorite childhood games- Pass the Pigs. Keep reading for the tutorial

DIY Embroidered Board Game Book

SUPPLIES

Board Game Book (for this project I’m using the smallest 6″ size)
Embroidery Floss
Embroidery Needle
Cricut Joy Xtra Machine
Adapter for the Fabric Pen
Cricut Washable Fabric Pen
Soluble Embroidery Stabilizer
Embroidery Scissors
Cricut Joy Xtra Mat
Linen Fabric
Heat n Bond Lite
Elmer’s Glue
Bone Folder

step 1- design the cover/spine

Start by designing the cover and spine. I’m using the online graphic design software called Pic Monkey. For the cover I used a 4×6″ rectangle and for the spine, I used a 1×6″ rectangle. Then I added the name of the game in a cursive. After that, I filled in the design with two pigs, a hill, sun, hearts, and clouds.

The cover and spine is designed to fit the 6″ board game book (the smallest in the set).

For this project, I’m using water soluble stabilizer paper that can go in a printer. It’s a great product because you can draw the design on, then it’s a sticker you put on top of the fabric you want to embroider. The fabric pen shows exactly where to stitch. Once the stitches are done, the stabilizer is water soluble so you can rinse it off in the sink and you’re left with just the pretty stitches.

The stabilizer paper is 8-1/2″x11″ so that’s the largest size that can be used for this project.

step 2- draw the design onto the water soluble paper

Next, I put the stabilizer onto a mat for the cutting machine. I loaded it into the Cricut Joy Xtra and had it draw the design onto the stabilizer. To draw on the design, I use a water soluble pen. I like using the Joy Xtra for this project, but the standard size pen doesn’t fit so I use this adapter so it can fit in the smaller machine.

Once the design is drawn onto the water soluble paper for the DIY embroidered board game book, cut around the border so the spine and cover and two different pieces.

step 3- cut and stabilize the linen

And now, it’s time to cut the linen fabric that’ll go over the book box. I cut the fabric to 13″ x 8″.

Once the fabric is ready, cut the Heat n Bond to the same 13″x8″ size.

Iron the linen fabric until it’s flat. The put the Heat n Bond on top and iron it on.

Remove the backing paper.

Next, cut a piece of tissue paper and iron it onto the Heat n Bond. So the linen will be the top layer, the heat n bond will be in the middle and the tissue will be on the bottom. Now the linen will be nice and thick and ready to glue onto the book box once the embroidery is complete. The layers prevent glue seeping through the linen.

I was worried the stabilizer on the linen would make it too thick to stitch. It was too thick to put in an embroidery hoop. But it wasn’t too hard to push the needle through.

Place the linen over the book box. Then take the sticky stabilizer with the cover drawn on and place it onto the cover. Repeat with the spine image. Make sure the linen is lined up with the book box to get a good placement. This is marking where you will embroider so it’s important to get it right to have a good final product.

Note, I did another similar project where I didn’t apply the Heat n Bond at this point and greatly regretted it. I had glue seepage. The fabric got really wrinkly when trying to iron on the heat n bond around the stitches. So doing it this way is best.

I also used a newer water soluble fabric marker to draw the design on darker. The Cricut marker is light and I wanted to be able to see the design clearly for the next embroidery step.

step 4- embroider the linen

Next, I began to embroider the design onto the DIY embroidered board game box. Here are the stitches I used with embroidery floss–

Back Stitch– I used this for most of the objects.

Satin stitch– I used this to fill in the hearts. I wish I’d used it on the pigs too.

French knot– I used this for the pig’s eyes, to dot the I, and the center of the flowers.

Lazy Daisy– I used this stitch to make the flowers. I also used a variation of this stitch to make the scallop border. I also marked with a ruler where to make the stitches for the border so it’d be as even as possible.

Once the design was completely embroidered on, I rinsed the stabilizer and pen off in warm water. This is a very satisfying step! The linen and the stitches are all that are left.

step 5- apply the linen to the book box

Finally, it’s time to glue the new linen cover onto the book box. For that, I used Elmer’s glue and a large foam brush for the cover and spine. For the inside cover, an artist’s brush works best.

To begin, brush the glue onto the cover, back and spine to hold the linen in place. At this point the linen should be a little bigger than needed.

Next, push the linen onto the inside of the cover and mark where the fabric hits the pages with a pencil. Use scissors to cut on the pencil line. Cut the corners off at a 45 degree angle a few centimeters from the book corners.

Use an artist’s paint brush to apply glue to the edge of the linen and the inside of the book. Start with the top and bottom of the book.

Push the linen in place. Sometimes this is tricky and takes time to work it into place. Using a bone folder helps as well.

Once the top and bottom of the book are complete, push the corners in with a bone folder. Then, glue down the side of the book.

Take your time, get used to the idea your fingers will be covered in glue. And you’ll get a nicely covered book box.

after

And now I have my new DIY embroidered board game book! It is so cute!

This was much slower to make than my usual version, but I can picture a whole shelf of games like these and it’d be adorable!

The embroidery gives it a very cozy home spun touch that I really love.

It’s cozy and really the cutest way to store board games I can imagine!

price breakdown

This was a very affordable project for me because I used all items I had on hand- the book box, linen, stabilizer, and embroidery floss. So I didn’t spend money to make this. It did take me 3 days of embroidering for many hours. So that was slow, but it was fun to see it come together.

Creating a DIY embroidered board game book is a beautiful way to combine crafting with practical storage. The hand-stitched details give a cozy, nostalgic feel that makes your game collection look like part of your decor instead of something to hide away. With a little patience and embroidery time, you can turn a simple book box into a charming keepsake for your favorite games.

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