Odds & Ends

We went away for the weekend so this post will have some of everything. I did some crochet in the car. this is Red Heart All in One Granny Square. This is one of those love/hate yarns. It may take some practice to get the square to come out perfectly.

We went to New Jersey and attended DexLite by Double Exposure. This gaming convention is a great way to try out new games and play old favorites with like-minded people. Everyone gets a set of dice at check-in and I picked these. 

The hotel had a pride display up in the lobby.

Before I left I used the Creative Grids Stripology XL Ruler to cut some binding. I have so many quilts to bind.

My favorite tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Creative Grids 6.5" x 24.5" Rectangle 

Creative Grids 4.5" x 12.5" Rectangle Quilting Ruler

Creative Grids Quilt Ruler 6-1/2" Square

Fiskars Rotary Cutter

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
BLACK+DECKER Classic Steam Iron
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

Juki TL-2010Q

Grabbit Magnetic Pin Cushion

Dritz Craft Pins, 1-3/4-Inch (250-Count)

Electric Quilt

Project box: IRIS 12" x 12" Portable Plastic Storage Cases with Built-in Handle, Clear (storage)

Letter Openers

Fiskars Rotating Cutting Mat 14 inch x 14 inch

Creative Grids Stripology XL Ruler

Game Night: Marvel United

This past weekend we had friends over for dinner and games. We plated a couple games but this was the one with the best art. This is the She Hulk character. 

The game is Marvel United. We've played it a few times. Each time we seem to pick the wrong heroes once or twice before we can manage to beat the big bad. On this occasion I think we failed twice and decided to change games. 

Marvel United Game 

The Marvel United game mat is an extra that you may be able to find at your local game shop. Support your local game shop. 

Game Vault

What is a game vault? It is a thing that gamers want. Role playing gamers. Board gamers. Gamer geeks of many types. A fully built game table can cost thousands of dollars. And I don't mean just a couple thousand. Some tables can run more than $10,000.00. I don't have the budget, or burning desire for such a table. I do however have some minor skills and math ability. During my research into the subject, I came across a cheaper option that anyone can make with some hand tools. I got this great idea from The Gamer Garage on YouTube. If this is the kind of gaming table you're interested in they can explain it much better than I can. I will have links to resource sites I used at the end of the post. 

Everything came in over a couple weeks. First, I received the rails, assembly brackets, handles, roll-in connectors, and the slot covers. 

When I ordered the rails they were cut to length so no special tools needed. We quickly assembled the rails and added the handles. This thing is huge! Our dream game vault may be bigger than it needs to be.

We used the cheapest laminate flooring we could get for the surface. This isn't a real tabletop, just a top that goes over my current table so it doesn't need to be really sturdy. This flooring is made of MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) with the woodgrain surface on top. We did have to do some math and cutting since the surface is wider than one piece of the flooring. It also means we had to buy two boxes instead of one and we had some left over. It wasn't a great waste because I could afford to make cutting errors. 

After we assembled the surface, we added the double-sided tape. This is how you keep it all together. If you've assembled the flooring correctly, the tape will make sure it stays in place. Next we placed the rails on top, pulled the backing from the tape and stuck it all down. That makes it sound super simple but it really took some time to make sure it was as centered as possible. I used leftover cuts from the flooring to suspend the rails while I removed the tape backing. Then, we walked around the perimeter to make sure it was stuck down. 

Then we picked it up and carried it into the dining room. What you don't see is a piece of shelf liner that runs diagonally across the top of the table before the game vault is set on top. This prevents it from sliding on the table surface. This is also when I trimmed the slot covers and installed them. It is really stable and should survive gaming. 

The final step was to add a neoprene topper from Game Toppers. This is the Mycroft, measuring 48" by 72". A huge surface that should suit any board game we play. Yes, my chairs are mismatched. That's okay. 

Here it is on our first game night with the game vault. We played a couple rounds of Marvel United and it was great. 

Special thanks to The Game Garage for setting us on this path. They did the initial legwork to make this a quick and easy project. Go watch their video to get links to all the things. 

Sources:

Tnutz

80/20

Game Toppers

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):

3M double-sided tape, 30 feet

Shelf liner

Marvel United Game 

The Marvel United game mat is an extra that you may be able to find at your local game shop. Support your local game shop. 

Odds and Ends

This week has been a week of things but not so much doing things. My Kickstarter copy of Dwellings of Eldervale came. It isn't like I'll be having any friends over soon so I have plenty of time to learn the rules. 

I put the twelve blocks for my kit on the design wall. There will be so much piecing of sashing and cornerstones, and so on for this one. Full update next Monday. 

And my copy of Escape Pod's year fifteen anthology(affiliate link) arrived. I actually bought two copies of this one so someone might be getting one for the winter holidays.