I was warned.
Before Dave and I got married 21 years ago, he took me aside and told me he had a secret passion . . . He is a historical board gamer.
Not the online type of gaming, although he has certainly spent many hours online with the likes of World of Warcraft and similar online gaming distractions.
I won't even try to explain, because he says I always get it wrong. This one shelf (there are several more that are just as fully packed in his gaming room) holds a tiny part of his board game collection.
Each box has maps, hyper-detailed instructions, and teeny tiny little cardboard counters, kinda like chips, that have to be punched and perfectly clipped so no little ears remain where the cardboard counters were connected to each other. Very fussy stuff.
I, myself have my quilting to do, so it worked out. We each retreat to our own space when he's in gaming mode and I'm in craft mode.
A couple times a year, he packs up his car with more games than he can possibly play over the course of a three-day weekend and heads to a gaming convention held in a hotel conference center with roomfuls of other gaming types. Countless nerds gathered in one place!
Since just before the pandemic, he has had a renewed interest in role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). Too nerdy for me!
But he has a group of friends who are anxious to start playing again once in-person meet-ups are a thing.
If that isn't nerdy enough, Dave has started painting miniatures to go along with the role-playing prep.
New tools started showing up in his gaming room. . .paint brushes in a variety of sizes and shapes. . .
Acrylic paints. The collection of tiny bottles started small and was barely noticeable. Now it seams that there are specific colors to paint specific types of creatures. Mustard yellow won't do to paint an ogre figure. I think I counted six miniature suitcases full of paint bottles.
And the miniatures themselves. A couple of boxes full of new miniatures waiting to be painted (below left). And some with packages opened that have made it to the paint table (below right) - they're next up. I've noticed that Dave's trips to the hobby shop are more frequent, shortly after the newest must-have figure release is announced on the latest Twitch broadcast (like a podcast, but a nerdier).
There are thousands of these miniatures available in all sorts of fantasy characters - some of them are pretty creepy - but they are plain gray, not painted. All of them totally nerdy.
This guy (on the left, below) doesn't have arms yet. You paint the main part of the figure then glue on the arms and the weapon he's carrying later. And UFO's (on the right). These things take time, and sometimes one project gets set aside to start another 'shiny new object' that just arrived in the craft room.
Then, after several layers of primer, paint, dry-brushing, shading, metallic details, the figure is done. Yes, that's a dime next to this one. I think it's a troll (don't quote me on that). And he really is quite amazing and full of painted detail.
And it can join the rest of the finished miniatures on the finished miniature shelf . . . .What's the point, you might ask. . . Once the in-person D&D gaming begins, these help illuminate the role-playing scenarios as they unfold.
I'm sure I'm not explaining that very well, after all, I'm not a nerd.
I know I'm not a nerd because I would never:
- Go to a convention where others who share my crafty interests bring more stuff than they can possibly accomplish, craft until the wee hours of the night, and buy the latest new things for their craft
- Collect every color imaginable whether I need it or not (I'll take two yards of that, please) (There are ~500 colors of DMC embroidery floss - yes I have them ALL)
- Spend hours and hours cutting and fussing and sewing and unsewing tiny, meticulous patterns to assemble them into something awesome
- Collect books and patterns until my shelves are stuffed to the max
- Listen to podcasts and take classes to improve my craft (or simply to socialize)
- Challenge myself with a new tool or concept, just because
- Start a project and leave it unfinished while a 'shiny new object' grabs my attention and takes me down a new rabbit hole
- Have a collection of finished quilts that turn the bed in the 'guest' bedroom into something from the 'Princess and the Pea' story .
No, I'm not a nerd. . .
. . . Or am I?
Are you?
Happy Stitching!
Joan Ford
Head Hummingbird
Oh my YES!!!! I am a nurd. I have been a nerd for years. Is this part of a therapy session? My nurdness has grown due to finding the beautiful intricate bird patterns, you are an inabler. God bless you my sister.
Yes I’ve been a fabriholic for years.
Haha! What can I say?
Just shared this story with my Nerd nephew. I think it fits him. On another note, I used your St. Patrick’s table runner pattern as a jumping off point for a quilt. Enlarged the pattern to use 2.5″ strips and made larger, individual heart blocks. Was well received as a wedding present. Thanks for sharing your talent. Best to you.
‘Nerd’ is most definitely an affectionate term! Great idea on the shamrock quilt! What a great wedding gift! Send a picture, if you have one, would love to see it!