Game On! is the 2026 Block of the Month quilt designed by Becky Goldsmith exclusively for THE QUILT SHOW: find Game On! information here. Join as a Star Member to get all the patterns and all the videos FREE. Membership is just $49/year and provides access to over 18 years of shows and tremendous additional content. Join HERE
Prints or Solids, the choice is yours. Buy a KIT or use your own fabric:
In Month 1 we make the center star points. Becky uses vellum for the foundation paper piecing, sewing through the paper. I will show how I use Freezer paper, not sewing through the paper, so the freezer paper foundations can be used many times.
If you are new to Paper Piecing, I suggest you follow the pattern instructions as written.
I provide TIPS that may help. They are supplemental to Becky's instructions, use them if you wish.
TIP 1: Watch all the VIDEOS for each month before you begin. Month 1 has 4 of them, each about 7 minutes long. Becky shows you in detail exactly how to prepare the foundation papers, how to place the fabrics for successful piecing and all the steps she uses for making this quilt. Watch them FIRST before you begin.
TIP 2: READ the 18 page GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS in Month 1. There is a lot of detailed sewing instruction in there for Month 1.
TIP 3: If you are new to paper piecing, know that fabric pieces are cut slightly larger than necessary to allow for proper placement. lt would not hurt to cut this month's pieces 1/2" LONGER than the pattern says. For example, piece 1 is cut 7" long. Cutting it 7.5" long gives just a little bit of insurance. Piece 2 is cut 5.5" long, 6" is a little more forgiving.
I suggest you cut ONE set of fabrics the size called for before cutting them all. Sew the first Star Point to see if you are happy with the sizes of each piece. If so, cut them all that size. If you would like a little bit extra, cut the next set a half inch longer, to see if you like that better.
PLEASE NOTE: the CUT SIZES IN THE PATTERN WORK FINE--some people just like a little bit more fabric for insurance.
TIP 4: if using Freezer Paper, be sure to use small dabs of glue to adhere the wrong side of the fabric to the wrong side of the paper. If the fabric comes off the paper before you have finished sewing the entire unit it is a challenge to put it back on exactly where it goes. This is not a problem when sewing through the paper as with vellum but there are places where dabs of glue help with the vellum too.
TIP 5: if sewing through the paper as the pattern instructs, it is essential you decrease the stitch length--1.75 is the largest I would do. When tearing off the paper at the end you don't want to have the stitches get distorted or come open. Smaller stitch length is essential. This makes it harder to un-sew should you make a mistake. And you will, at least once. Have a good stitch ripper on hand.
The ADVANTAGE to using Freezer Paper is the patterns can be re-used multiple times. There is no difficulty removing the paper as it separates off completely when the unit is made. There is no need to lower the stitch length, the standard 2.0 length for piecing works well for me.
Here is my technique with Freezer Paper. If you want more information about this process see my TUTORIAL here: Freezer Paper Foundation Piecing
Use dabs of glue to secure fabric to paper.
Put the wrong side of fabric 1 to the wrong side of the Freezer paper (FP). Fold the FP back on the SOLID line. This is the SEWING LINE. Put fabric 2 right sides together to fabric 1, being sure to center it. Stitch right along the fold, slowly, not sewing on the paper nor away from the paper: RIGHT ALONG THE FOLD OF THE PAPER:
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| Fabric 2 placed RST on Fabric 1 |
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| Sewing right along the folded edge of the FP |
TIP 6: The NUMBER ONE MISTAKE students make as they learn foundation paper piecing--they FORGET TO TRIM. The process is:
SEW--join fabrics 1 and 2
FLIP--flip fabric 2 UP, the only way it can be flipped
PRESS--use a DRY IRON to completely press fabric 2 flat on the seam against the paper foundation
TRIM--fabric 2 is oversized and MUST BE TRIMMED, before adding fabric 3
Here I am using vellum so you can see the issue. Fabric 2 has been sewn, flipped, pressed, but NOT YET TRIMMED. There is excess fabric 2 beyond the seam allowance that joins fabric 2 to fabric 3:
Place fabric 3 centered on fabric 2, sew, flip, press, trim.
After trimming fabric 3, repeat for piece 4. Be sure to check the placement of each fabric to be added to be certain it will cover the area on the paper it needs to cover.
After adding fabric 4, TRIM the long side where fabric 5 joins fabrics 1-4:
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| Fabrics 1-4 sewn, ready to TRIM for fabric 5 |
When adding fabric 5, it is very important to place it so it will completely cover the area fabric 5 needs to cover. Fold the FP back to be sure it fits. Fabric 5 is placed face up on the mat, the FP with 1-4 in place is placed on top of fabric 5--by folding the FP piece 5 back I can clearly see fabric 5 will cover the area it needs to cover for fabric 5 on the pattern:
Once Part one is complete, follow Becky's instructions to use a quality ruler to trim 1/4" beyond the solid lines on all sides. With FP, you simple peel the fabric off the paper and use the FP again for the next unit. With Vellum, Becky leaves the paper on until AFTER the Center Block is almost completely sewn.
For Part two, Becky has an excellent video showing how to place fabrics 6 and 7 to achieve the very acute angle:
Piece 6 is wrong side up on the mat, the FP pattern is placed so it is completely covered by the fabric:
Fold the FP pattern back, place fabric 7 under fabric 6, RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER, you can clearly see the white fabric 7 piece will cover the area it needs to cover:
Sew the seam joining fabrics 6 and 7. Press toward fabric 7, use a ruler to trim 1/4" away from the SOLID LINES, and Part Two is ready to sew to Part One.
TIP 7: Because I am using Freezer Paper, the paper is gone from both Parts One and Two before I join them. I work with positioning pins to be sure I have the two units where they need to be once joined.
IMPORTANT: Because I removed the paper I NEED to see where the long point goes so I can join it properly to the larger unit. Very Simple: I use a good ruler and mechanical pencil to draw short lines (about one inch long on both sides) at the very tip of the white fabric 1/4" in from the raw edge--this shows me exactly where to put the POSITIONING PIN:
I machine BASTE about 1" on either side of this important spot, turning my stitch length very long, 5.0 or longer. It only takes a few seconds to sew that inch or two, check it, and, if it's not as perfect as you want, pull out the basting stitches, realign the seam, and try again. This is a FIDDLE PLACE: fiddle with it until it looks as good as you want it to. I was happy with this so I turned the stitch length back to 2.0 and sewed the entire seam:
TIP 8: While Becky shows where it is essential to back stitch on the pattern, I found it also helpful to backstitch at the outer edges of each seam. It is particularly helpful in Month 2, when we make the four CORNER BLOCKS.
Ask Questions on the Forum. Show your Progress on the Forum. We are eager to see how you play with Game On!
Let's quilt.
Barbara
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