I have this vague idea to sew a really big D20, like, maybe a metre high, using pool noodles as a skeleton for the edges, but it would need, conservatively, about 14 metres of fabric in addition to the 15 pool noodles, and really like, what would I even do with a D20 that is over half my height? I sewed some 20cm dice and they are all just chilling in pillowcases on top of my bookshelves because I am not using them.
But likeā¦ 1m tall D20ā¦.
Okay I did the proper maths, and the original plan of using half a pool noodle per edge (75cm, plus the space in the corner for a practical 80cm) would mean a D20 that was over 1.5 metres from point to point, and 1.2 metres tall when face up. Unfortunately, a standard door is only 82cm wide, so anything bigger than that needs to be a level of squishy that probably wouldnāt be able to keep its shape well enough to roll cleanly.
So I re-did the maths for a 50cm long edge that WOULD fit through a door pretty much exactly and also still just scrape in at one metre wide point to point. It would only need 10 pool noodles rather than 15 since I would be getting 3 edges per nood, and 5 metres of outside fabric and probably another one or two for the insides? And while I would need to go grab a pool noodle to confirm, I think maybe the shorter length might mean the noodle alone would have enough stability to hold the diceās shape pretty well.
10 noods is $20 from bunnings and I think I could do it with a queen bed doona coverās worth of fabric, so thatās like another $10 for the test version. I also *think* I can do it in such a way that it can be disassembled if I use a whole heap of zips; it would need at least a couple for the closure anyway, and the idea that I can just make a shell that anybody could insert their own cut-in-thirds noods into would mean I could theoretically mail them.
More importantly, disassembled they would fit into a storage tub.
@the-raven-faeāĀ replied to your post
This would make a super neat sitting stool
Also maybe dowels or like, PVC tubing through the pool noodles? Depending on final use intention of course
@ohclippy replied to your post Dowels through the noodles. Unless you used PVC pipes for the frame instead? Then the fabric could be stretched like in a quilt frame.
@happilymacabreā replied to your post pvc pipe the structure, cut the half noodles in half again but length wise and glue them to the exterior of the structure. Instead of sewing the thing shut leave 2 sides of 1 face open for a zipper. fill with the other plush dice.
@slightlycrackedteapotā replied to your post Could you make one that was closer to 1.5m across that doubles as a kiddie tent / pillow fort?
It is a little hard to explain my construction plan, but basically, I think the way to do it is to sew the D20 and have fabric tubes sewn into each of the interior seams where the pool noodle parts go. Those tubes have a zipper (maybe 1/3rd of their length?) in them to make inserting and removing the noodles possible, and one of the seams would also have an invisible zipper the entire length of it and its inner tube to make it possible to get into it.
The inner tubes would go to about 10cm from each end, and I will have to test it, but I think tapering the points of the triangles from 60 degrees to 72 for the last 5cm means I donāt need to stuff the corners? I donāt particularly want to have to cut the noodles to a point but I might have to. But this is the kind of thing you refine through testing, and if the noodles are removable, then I donāt have to buy more for subsequent tests.
If I put dowel in the tubes it makes them more difficult to get in or out, unless I use much longer zips, makes it heavier, and makes it more dangerous to hurl bodily at someone, which is, in my opinion, an absolutely vital attribute for this giant D20 to have. If I cannot pretend to be Atlas holding the world aloft on his shoulders, and also ditch this thing at a friendās head, I have failed in my mission. I want the softness.
I have been using this calculator to get my sizes, and, with the original 80cm edge I mentioned, it has a point-to point measurement of 1.5metres and a flat-top height of 1.2 metres. If you make it out of something rigid like dowel or PVC pipe you can very easily make a D20 shaped tent big enough for even an adult to stand in, although I would put the tubes on the outside and maybe 3D print some kind of 5-way connector. Someone has probably already done that part.
Also, some cursory googling has led me to discover that pool noodles in the US are apparently like 15cm shorter than they are here? Pool noodles come in imperial and metric? Whoād'a thought?
Youāre diagram of how you wanted to sew it is EXACTLY how I thought your would sew it.
A concept, if you made the zips down the tubs for the pool noodles longer, anyone could easily insert either just the pool noodle OR a pool noodle with a re-enforced PVC pipe/dowel. So you could interchangeably have either the softness to hurl at friends or stability.
All of these seems to center around the idea that these are hollow inside, which makes sense for hurling at people, but also considerā¦.BEAN BAG CHAIR D20
In my head I am thinking about those 6-inch long zips that I already have dozens of laying about, that would be just enough to make it possible to put the nood in and out, but I could probably get longer ones for pretty cheap on Aliexpress if I had a look around. I need 30 of them though, so little price and weight increases built up pretty quick. 15mm PVC pipe to put through the noodleās hole seems to be about the same price as the pool noodles themselves at Bunnings ($2.70 for 2m vs. $2 for 1.5m), which would mean doubling the cost to upgrade to the stiffer edges. But the longer zips would mean that that could be a later upgrade, if desired. This is all still hypothetical for a couple of weeks at least, but I like the idea that I can just improve the original rather than making a whole another one. This is a pretty materials-heavy project, so itās a lot to waste for a re-do.
For a D20 beanbag chair though, I would almost certainly use what is known as āgap filler rodā but which is basically like an inch wide pool noodle, that you can buy in 20 metre rolls at the hardware store, and I would just slightly concave my triangles so that even when full, the polyhedra would still have distinct points, even if the edges got a bit lost. The thinner foam would bend a lot more so you could sit on it comfortably, but the thing about beanbags is that they are only ever half-full; the beans shifting to fit you is how they become comfortable. So it wouldnāt be rollable at all, really (although it might plop on a distinct face because of the foam rod?) and because beanbag beans are such bastards it wouldnāt be interchangeable like a hollow one would.
