Between working on my Improv Tumblers and some charity blocks today I finished another scrappy block to go with the other three that my son and I have made.
One of my favorite parts about sewing with scraps is the memories of other projects. My favorite print here is the mushroom print in the middle. This fabric was originally used to make pants for my son when he was much littler than he is now, which I shared in my very first blog post nearly five years ago. I've also made some other projects with that fabric. It just makes me smile.
This is my 14th blog post in as many days as part of the 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge. Be sure to check out the December posts in the sidebar to the right (or below if you're on mobile) to see what else I have shared so far this month. And click the button below to see Cheryl's post on the challenge with links to dozens and dozens of participants.
One of the things I like to do when I'm not sewing is to play board games. We have a few family favorites so I thought I'd share them with you. Worth noting, my kids are 6 and 8 years old and have been playing board games for years. Often if my youngest doesn't want to play solo, she teams up with one of us to play. Worth noting, all of these games play well as 2-player games.
In no particular order...
Pandemic: We love this one where players work cooperatively to eradicate four diseases across the map. The games is always different depending on which combination of roles players take on and what special powers they take on (like Quarantine Specialist, stopping the spread of disease in an area).
Tiny Epic Galaxies: We just got this game. It comes in a small box but it's packed full of good stuff. Each player has a card and tokens to mark their level and resources. The deck of planet cards introduce a variety of potential actions to help in acquiring planets. Plus, little rocket tokens for moving around!
Fluxx: There are many versions, but at the heart of it is a simple card game. Draw one, play one. Oh, until the rules change. Or the goal changes. Or what actions you can take change. You're in a constant state of flux until someone meets the requirements of the moment to win. As you can imagine sometimes this is quick and sometimes the game is a little more drawn out.
Just Desserts: This card game has been enjoyed by many in our house. It's a fast-paced card game that's all about feeding the customers the type of dessert they desire. (There are also Coffee and Bacon expansion pack.) Warning: you may have dessert cravings following the game.
Power Grid: Also new to us, this one is pretty involved and lengthy (2+ hours). We're still really getting to know this one, but we enjoy it. It took a few games to get the hang of all the rules, but there's real good strategy around purchasing power plants, buying the supplies to run them, and building in cities to power. More focus is needed as there are many different phases in each round and order of play changes often.
Catan Junior: Settlers of Catan is a great one for older players, but my favorite game with the kids when they were younger was Catan Junior. The mechanics were not too complicated, but the game still offered lots of strategy. And pirate themed!
Qwirkle: Easy to play, it's a little like scrabble with no letters. Tiles have shapes of a particular color (note: color blind players will need assistance or adaptation of game pieces). No reading required.
Splendor: Beautiful graphics and chips as "gems" (the monetary units of the game). Once again this is a game with easy mechanics, but a lot of room for strategy. We've yet to introduce this game to someone who didn't enjoy it.
If you try any of these out, let me know what you think. And I'd love to hear what board games your family enjoys!
I've made progress on two projects in the last week. I've already shown you my Waterfall strip sets. And here's the progress on my Island Batik Improv Tumbler. The rows are all pieced. The theme of this challenge is Whimsical and Wonky and I've definitely got the wonky going. Part of the nature of the planned improv in this piece is that the rows kind of do what they want to do. I can see two or three adjustments I'll definitely be making. I'd like the top row to be a little more straight to minimize fabric loss when I trim the top edge. That blue and purple strip that's making a right turn definitely needs some help. And the two pieces in the middle that look like they are kissing might get adjusting as well. I also have my half tumbler scraps to add to the ends of each row.
Another thought: This will be so fun to teach! Who wants to learn how to make your own Improv Tumbler?
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