I am happy to report that Betsy is laying!!! I am unhappy to report that I had to destroy a TON of brood to open up the hive, since they had attached all the comb to the top cover. I felt very bad about it and hope I didn’t set them back too far.
On the non-bee front, Will and I have been spending the month of April at conventions. We spent a week at the Gathering of Friends and another three day weekend at PAX East. We had SO MUCH fun at both and got to play LOTS of awesome and amazing board games. We’ll be talking about some of those on a Danycast soon, but in honor of our month of board games, I’ve got a board game inspired sewing project for you! Or if you don’t sew (or even if you do) I have an April give away for you (see below)!
Let me show you how to make your very own DICE BAG! Will & I (maybe I more than Will) love RPGs! We’ve tried DnD as well as Mouse Guard and have both taken on the role of DMs. Well I actually didn’t own a dice bag until just a few minutes ago when I finished this one, but I’m sure I will be the talk of the tavern next time I play with this bag. It took me less than an hour (including time for pictures and designing) and less than 1 square foot of fabric. So what are you waiting for? Roll for initiative!
DIY Dice Bag (or Drawstring bag for those who don’t own dice)
What you’ll need:
- 1 sq foot of your favorite cotton scrap fabric
- 2 feet ribbon or cord
- thread
- yarn needle
Cut your cotton print fabric into two 5.75″x5″ squares. It should be 5.75 inches lengthwise.
Cut two rectangles
Right sides together pin your fabric on three sides (leaving the top unpinned). Leave 1.5 inches from the top unpinned. Make sure to mark at 1.5 inches from the top.
Be sure to leave 1.5 inches open at the top.
With 1/2″ seam allowance, stitch along the three pinned edges being sure to leave the 1.5″ opened at the top. Back tack at the start and end to reinforce.
Cut off the corners on the bottom of your bag and turn right side out. Press.
Cut off corners
Turn inside out again and with the seam allowance pressed towards the center of the bag fold the top of each side of the bag down. Make sure the unfinished edge is 1/4″ below where you back tacked (4.25″) . Pin slightly below where you back tacked and stitch each side separately.
Fold top down and pin.
Turn right side out and press again.
Take a yarn needle and thread 1 foot of cord through one side of the draw string opening. Thread it through the other opening to form a loop. The tails should both end up on one side of the pouch. Knot the two cords together close to their ends. Repeat with the second foot of cord but starting on the opposite side of the bag.
Insert ribbon or cord with yarn needle.
That’s it!
Finished dice bag
Finished dice bag
So how do you win one? Tell me about the best board game you’ve played recently, or a board game you really want to try but don’t own. Or alternatively tell me the best RPG adventure you’ve ever done. Make sure to add a comment by May 15th! I’ll give away bags to my favorites (dice not included). Oh and before I forget, thank you for your submissions for the March contest, lots of great ideas. I’ll be contacting the winner soon.
UPDATE 5/24 – Thanks to all our entries – here is a picture of the prizes that await you!
I thought the Pathfinder Adventure Card game was AWESOME. Plus, it also uses RPG dice, so it would be a good game to use the dice bag with :)
I was surprised how much I liked it! It was much closer to a normal DM lead RPG than I expected!
Ahh…so many to choose from! I’m still a bit obsessed with Tokkaido because of the pretty artwork…
We’ll have to chat with you about D&D at a later time…and WHERE DID YOU GET THE LSP FABRIC????
JOANN FABRICS! I bought that pattern and one with the TARDIS on it during a big sale at Christmas. They have a surprising amount of Adventure Time prints and I thought it was appropriate for a dice bag. I actually have not played Tokaido! I’ll have to go on that adventure soon (I’ve always wanted to visit Japan)!
I approve of the post title =D
If anyone glares at you, tell them to roll with it!
Haha! I knew you’d like it.
Nice one!
The next board game I want to try is Malifaux. I know very little about it, but I think painting the figurines would be a lot of fun!
Hahaha. Was this supposed to get bonus points from Will ;). If so I think you have succeeded! I also want to paint those little dudes!
While it might not be the best game, Kodama was fun an absolutely adorable.
Haven’t played that one either!! We’ll have to check it out!
My favorite new game is Ascension! I was getting a little bored with Dominion, so I like that this is a similar style of deck-building game. (I admit that it’s probably not as good as Dominion, but it’s still a viable alternative!)
Ah finally one I have played ;). I like it, but I’ve only ever played it two player. I agree it is not as good as Dominion though…
Oh and you should definitely try a bag building game during DanyCon.