Kathy Rebmann and Carole Carpenter
Dana Rebmann
After playing Uno No Mercy with the kids and Samba with the folks, it became apparent that we needed a better solution for holding playing cards—something that would be hands-free, portable, and hold lots and lots of cards. Uno No Mercy has a Draw 10 card, for heaven’s sake!
Years ago, the crocheter in my family made yarn-woven plastic canvas discs, which work great for games of pinochle or ponytail canasta. Though it is portable and it makes holding cards easier, we find that it isn’t up to the task of holding tons of cards, and it’s not completely hands-free.
A few years back, the woodworker in my family made a four-tier card holder using a table saw and a 4×4 block of wood. It’s great for those card-intensive games like Samba and Hand and Foot, because it holds lots of cards and it’s hands-free. However, it’s clunky to transport.
The new sewist in the family (that’s me) did some research and created a triangle-shaped card holder that can fold flat for transporting and storing. It stays open with Velcro, making it hands-free. And with five rows of pockets, it holds as many cards as Uno No Mercy can throw at ya.
After sharing my card holder on Facebook, my post received 8.1 thousand hearts/likes and 1.3 thousand shares. I posted the sewing pattern to Etsy at www.etsy.com/shop/yarnovationsshop, and it sold well. So, do these stats mean the sewn version is the perfect playing card holder?
No, the positive feedback tells me that the fabric version is a good one, but it’s not the “perfect” one. The perfect playing card holder is the one you’ll use. My family uses all three, depending on what we’re playing, where we’re playing, and whether we want to hold cards or not.
I can tell you that playing card holders make card games more enjoyable. I highly recommend them for everyone! If you need a card holder and can’t make one yourself, I encourage you to reach out to your friends and family to see if they can. There are also some incredible groups/clubs in Sun Lakes where you could possibly commission them to make one for you. There’s a knit/crochet club, woodworking club, and a sewing club. Or if you love shopping online, I’ve seen all three of these types of card holders and more on Etsy.com.