My Latest Project

One of the guys at work and I have started learning to play Go. Rather, we're learning to play a doped down version played on a 9x9 board, instead of crazy version on a 17x17 board. I've been wanting to woodwork a Go board for the last year or so, but woodworking time is hard to come by. Enter the sewing machine. I figured out that it wouldn't take too much ingenuity or time to sew myself a board, so I did just that:



Another thing I've been wanting to woodwork for a year or so has been a Nine Men's Morris board, so while I was at it, I sewed up one of those too:



Then, in a fit of inspiration (actually, the inspirational fit came with the conception of the idea) I sewed the two together to make a double sided board that also doubled as a bag to carry the game pieces in!



Since both games use the same pieces (black and white stones), just in different quantities, my original plan was to buy those glass stones that people put fake flowers in in black and white. To that end, while I had the sewing machine out, I stitched up a couple of bags to meet a few basic criteria: 1) They had to hold my pieces (duh); 2) They had to fit inside the board/bag; 3) I wanted them to stand up on their own. So I sketched out a quick design on graph paper, then cut, traced, cut, sewed, unsewed, sewed, unsewed, cursed, sewed, etc. until I had two decent looking bags with draw-strings that would meet all of the above criteria:



Unfortunately, Michael's and Joann's only sell glass stones in floral colors, which forced me to look online, where I discovered that this free project was about to take a turn for the more expensive. So, I resorted to my last...er...resort: Sculpey clay. I used plain white clay to shape 80 white stones, and then I painted half of them black (technically there should be 41, but I'm sure I'll never notice), but it didn't take long to realize that my black model paint wouldn't last a day of regular use, let alone if the stones were kept in a bag together where they could rub against each other. And besides, they just looked so dull. So, in a move that would make any man proud, I bought my first bottle of fingernail polish. Yes, at 9:00 on a wednesday night, I ran to the drugstore and picked up the cheapest bottle of clear lacquer fingernail polish I could find. I then spent the next three evenings putting a nice coating of fingernail polish on all of my stones to a) protect the paint on the black ones, and b) put a nice, glossy sheen on all of them:



So, for a grand total of $5 out of pocket (doesn't count thread, and the Sculpey clay which I bought in bulk, half off a couple months ago) I have a decent looking travel Go/Nine Men's Morris set, which will roll up and fit into a (large) pocket!






Several people have commented on how 'good' and 'professional' it looks, which, frankly, I have to say I even surprised myself with how well it turned out (all except the corners, which tend to pop out and look a little messy). So now I have to think up another way to put those sewing skills to use. I'm tempted to try sewing myself a Utilikilt, but I'll have to measure all the pleats on my real one first, and find a nice, looong piece of manly-ish fabric. Maybe I'll just make a hat that converts into a swimsuit, or something.