Machine Embroidery

My darling asked for a folding dice tray for an in-person role-playing game they are in. I happened to have this delightful machine embroidery design by String Theory Fabric Art. So many fun and nerdy designs!

This is the largest size of the Feature Fabric Appliqué Portable Dice Tray ITH design. I used some gray marine vinyl and some fun dungeon fabric I bought from Spoonflower a couple years ago. The snaps are KAM snaps.

My favorite tools and supplies (affiliate links):

Creative Grids 4.5" x 12.5" Rectangle Quilting Ruler

Fiskars Rotary Cutter replacement blades
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
Fiskars 8-inch scissors

Magna-Glide bobbins (absolutely the best for my embroidery machine)

Pellon Stitch-N-Tear

Snaps: KAMsnaps kit (this is the kit I purchased, it includes a rainbow of snap colors and the tools you need to set the snaps)

Travel

Last weekend we traveled to Morristown, NJ, to participate in Metatopia 2023. We played new games with new friends, attended seminars about machine learning systems and listened to the flesh and bone artists this technology aims to put out of business. 

There was also so much food. We went to Pierogies House for dinner.

I walked in the nearby park. 

We had more delicious food. The chicken sliders - with house-made chips - were a fun lunchtime treat from The Horseshoe Tavern.

And more walking in the park. 

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. 

Meeples and Monsters

In case you don't know, I love  a good board game Kickstarter. Meeples and Monsters from AEG is one of those board games. 

The finish on everything in this box is just awesome! Look at these bags. So many times everything in a Kickstarter project is great except they cheap-out on the bags for dice, or pieces. These are big enough to get your hand into easily. 

Printed meeples are necessary for this game but they add a little to the overall finish. Yes, some of those are just gray, which is intentional. We call those the drunken meeples. It will make more sense if you play the game. And yes, one is missing an arm. That missing tiny arm is the only thing wrong with this game and it doesn't affect game play. 

We played through a couple times during the last game night. It went well, if slowly the first time. 

I mean, look at this first player dragon meeple! Isn't it awesome! I think so. As part of full disclosure, I didn't win either time. Maybe next time. 

I hope your Pi Day is a good one. 

Games and supplies (affiliate links): 

Here are some easy-to-get games from AEG that we have enjoyed. 

Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) Smash Up - 4 players, loads of fun expansions

Space Base - 2-4 players

Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) Thunderstone Quest - 2-4 players

Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) Calico - 1-4 players

Roll-Play Board Game Mat 3' x 4' | Neoprene Tabletop - this is the one I purchased in 2019. It is no longer available but the page is a great jumping-off point to find one that is available. 

Game Night

It has been over a year since we sat down for in-person dinner and games with our friends. Saturday marked the first weekend everyone was fully vaccinated so we celebrated with dinner and games. 

I only have a few photos as we were having too much fun playing games and catching up. This is the board for Canvas, a card drafting strategy game. It was quick to learn and kept us entertained. The base game is available on Amazon (link at the end of the post). 

This is a view of the table when we played Mountain Goats. This was a cute, fun, and quick game that would be great to ease someone into your game night fun. Simply roll the dice and move your mountain goat to gain victory points. Straightforward and quick. We also played two more games from the same publisher: GPS Board Game and Sequoia. We liked Sequoia but would pass on GPS. The giant rocket spinner is cute but the gameplay is very simplistic. You can buy these on Amazon; links at the bottom of the post. 

We particularly enjoyed The Crew, a cooperative, trick-taking game that had us engaged for a couple hours. We did it all on my neoprene tabletop mat. The mat makes it so much easier to pick up cards and tokens. It also keeps those dice from bouncing too much and ending up on the floor. According to Amazon, the one I bought a couple years ago is no longer available. I have linked it below to start your search for one of your own. 

It was so great to share food with friends again. 

Games and supplies (affiliate links): 

Sequoia - Board Game - 2 to 5 Players - 10 Minute Play Time

GPS - Board Game - 2 to 5 Players - 10 Minute Play Time

Mountain Goats - Board Game - 2 to 4 Players - 20 Minute Play Time

The Crew - Quest for Planet Nine Card Game - 2 to 5 Players

Canvas - Card Drafting Strategy Puzzle

Roll-Play Board Game Mat 3' x 4' | Neoprene Tabletop - this is the one I purchased in 2019. It is no longer available but the page is a great jumping-off point to find one that is available. 

Machine Embroidery

I've had my eye on this machine embroidery design for a while now. I have plenty of gamer friends that would use one of these fun and easy to take along dice trays. 

Two layers of durable vinyl and some fun embroidery make this a quick and durable project, perfect for gift giving. The design is from String Theory Fabric Art. Direct link.

Tools and supplies (affiliate links):
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
Fiskars 4-inch Curved Craft Scissors
Fiskars 8-inch scissors
Magna-Glide bobbins (absolutely the best for my embroidery machine)
KAM snaps
Pellon Stitch-N-Tear

Parks Board Game

A couple times a year I back a board game Kickstarter. I like seeing these new games get off the ground with crowd funding. Parks was one that interested me enough to put down my money. I wasn't alone. Over 9000 people joined in raising over $400,000 to make the game come to life. 

The game supports 1-5 players. That's right, you can even play it solo. The art is beautiful. The game play is easy enough to pick up in the first round. Travel the national parks and take photos. I can't wait to share this one with my friends on gamenight. 

You can check out Keymaster Games on their website.

Want to get your own copy? While the Kickstarter campaign is over, that doesn't mean the game isn't available. You can get your own copy of Parks on Amazon (affiliate link). At publication the game was still at pre-order, but that won't last forever.

Custom Embroidery

Darling Husband asked for some patches for a live action role-playing game he was participating in on Saturday. He found the art and I worked up the design in my embroidery design software.

Using materials I had on-hand, I stitched the design onto white felt. Since he would be handing these out to the other members of his faction at the game, I covered the stitching with fusible interfacing and used hot glue to attach the pin backs.

I sewed patches onto his coveralls and matching t-shirt. Little details like this can make gamers happy. 

Then, I just had to clean up the super-sized mess I made getting to the finished product.

Tools and Supplies (affiliate links):
Fiskars Rotary Cutter
Fiskars Self Healing Rotary Cutting Mat
Fiskars 8-inch scissors
Fiskars 4-inch Curved Craft Scissors
Dritz Large Seam Ripper (because sometimes there are mistakes)
Magna-Glide bobbins
Stanley Glue Gun (mine is likely 20 years old, this looks like a suitable replacement)

Game Night Play Mat

We get together with friends a couple times a month to play games like Evolution from North Star Games.

Or Space Base from AEG. We found the cards weren't very easy to pick up from the surface of the table. I wanted a neoprene play mat to help cards from slipping away and to generally make things easier to pick up. I did some searching around the web and Amazon and found a 3 foot by 4 foot neoprene play mat that was perfect for our dining room table. If you play board games and want something to cover your play surface this is a great solution.

Games:
Space Base from AEG
Evolution from North Star Game

Play mat:
3 foot by 4 foot neoprene play mat

Relaxicon 2019

Last weekend we joined friends old and new in Pennsylvania for Relaxicon 2019. The event is put on by Wilmark Dynasty, a gaming group that has been around for decades. Yes, I said decades. Looking back over the big live action games they hosted over the years, it looks like our first game with them was way back in 1998. We haven't participated every year, as we have moved more than a few times since then, but we do like to go when we can.

There won't be a bunch of pictures, since I spent more time playing games, or socializing with friends than I spent looking at my phone. Which is to be expected. This was one of many games of Space Base we played. I even managed to win once. 

We had some trouble getting a dog sitter for the weekend, so someone had to go with us. That meant loads of trips outside to play in the sun. Pet-friendly hotels are great when you need one. 

I also managed to convince my friends to play a couple rounds of Rise of Tribes. I didn't manage to win, though.

A small selection of the games at the convention (affiliate links):
Space Base
Rise of Tribes
Mysterium
Splendor
Eldritch Horror
Codenames
Machi Koro
Catan
Sparkle Kitty
Bears vs Babies
Exploding Kittens

Knitting, Embroidery, Mending, and Games

I don't have a focused post for today. So, we'll go over a bunch of things I've been working on or doing over the last week. 

I've been working on this knitting project this year. I started with the Dotted Rays pattern by Stephen West, but I'm seriously considering making it into a poncho, or infinity scarf. That idea is very nebulous, though. I'll share how it turns out if I figure out how to do it. 

I embroidered a pair of hand towels for friends. The dragons might look a little funny because the water soluble top stabilizer is still showing. After washing they will look much better. Dragon machine embroidery design from Urban Threads Embroidery. 

I did some mending. I picked up this great, heavy, wool coat at the thrift store a couple years ago. The buttons were hanging dangerously loose this winter, so I cut the threads and re-sewed all the buttons back on. Good timing, too, since the weather shifted and the daytime temp was around 20 degrees Fahrenheit earlier this week.

We had some friends over to try out their copy of Thunderstone Quest. After a slow start, we got moving and it seemed to run pretty smoothly. I'm sure our second go-round won't be as bumpy. I got to use my Component Collector by Dog Might Games to keep all the little bits corralled. We also played Pandemic: the Cure and failed to stop the epidemic.

Happy Mail

I am a sucker for a great Kickstarter campaign.

A while back I decided to back a fun project from Dog Might Games. The Traveller Dice Tower seemed like fun gaming tool. I have backed a few of their projects and have been very happy with their products and their excellent customer service.

The dice towers arrived last week and I wanted to share them with you. I picked up a second dice tower during the backer-kit stage because it was a great deal. I'm so glad I decided to back this project. These are great! I'll be bringing these to the table for my next game. They are currently taking pre-orders for the Traveller.

Supplies (affiliate links):
Pound of Dice

Applique Snap Tabs

I shared this fun fabric earlier in the week. Those round motifs begged to be put onto a snap tab. I sat down with my embroidery software and got to work. I already had the round snap tab design from my previous project with the D20 so I all I had to do was sort out the applique portion of the design. 

First I measured the outline of the motif and tried to add the applique portion. It turned out too small so I tried a couple more times. 

I did manage to get it to this point, which is pretty good. 

Here is the progression of the project. Machine embroidery isn't something that magically works the right time the first time. I wish it did but like so many other crafts it is something that takes practice to learn and get good at.

I picked the best of the bunch and finished them as snap tabs. I'm sure I'll use this design again with other fabrics. If you are interested in something like this please contact me through my Etsy shop and I'll set up a listing for you.

The snaps I purchased from Amazon: Kam Snaps Starter Kit (affiliate link)
The swivel trigger snap hooks (affiliate link) were also purchased on Amazon

I bought both the vinyl and the fabric at a big box fabric store.

Dragon Chow Dice Bags

I've shared my use of the Dragon Chow dice bag pattern a time or two. I'll say it again, it's a great, free pattern! With even a little bit of sewing experience you should be able to make one.

I picked up this fun fabric at the big box fabric store. It was too fun to pass up. I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to do with it when I bought it.

I also bought a yard of coordinating Kona cotton solid for the lining. Overall, this was a very satisfying project. These little bags make up quickly.

If you are interest in buying one directly from me, please contact me through my Etsy shop and I'll set up a listing for you. You can even build your custom bag with the colors and prints that suit your taste. This is not an invitation for anyone to contact me about mass production or consignment. I will not answer your messages. I don't have the time to make huge quantities of anything. 

Check out the free Dragon Chow dice bag pattern in pdf format. 

Amazon sells cord locks (affiliate link) similar to the ones I use. I buy mine directly form Strapworks.com. 

You can find paracord at most craft stores in shorter lengths (about 10 yards). Amazon also sells paracord in a rainbow of colors (affiliate link) and in a multitude of length options. Each bag uses about 24" of cord.