After you have turned the soil, just walk over it when you use your garden rake to grade to compact the soil enough to keep it from settling, but not so much that it is too compacted.
After you use seed, take your leaf rake, turn it upside down and drag it across the seeded area. This is a harrowing effect that will insure good seed to soil contact. If the area is big, then this also helps to cover any foot prints you create when you seed.
Skip the straw as cover. Usually is full of weed seed if you can't find sterilized straw. Just seed and water sufficiently to get it established. Water lightly once in the morning and once at night to keep the soil moist. After it has germinated, cut your watering back accordingly and water in the morning.
Also, buy extra seed and over seed the entire front lawn. This way you wont get a patch of grass that is different in color and structure from the rest of your lawn. You still might need to over seed in the fall in order to blend it all in completely.
Sod is good to use, and can be wayyyyyy better than seeding, but you will get a patch of grass that won't match, so then an over seeding will be necessary to blend it in.
