GAME ON! MONTH 7

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 almost 20 years of shows and tremendous additional content. Join HERE

This month we add the fourth 3" border, the one at the bottom of the center. This is another one of those "good to know" borders, easy to make and interesting to use. Arranging colors makes the border flow.

The units are easy to paper piece. Simply start by figuring out your colors and keep the fabrics organized. 

Becky has a great tip to make it easier to get intersections to match well. After removing the paper, repress the seam allowances of EVERY OTHER BLOCK in the opposite direction they were pressed when paper piecing:

Now the seams at top and bottom will "nest" 

The intersections will be just where you want them with little bulk:

Be sure the 3" borders measure 36.5" long. I "measure as I go". Each pair needs to measure 6.5" wide. Two pairs sewn together will be 12.5" wide. There are six pairs--I check them all after joining them to each other. Finding the mistake as soon as I make it and fixing it then makes it much more likely the border will be 36.5" wide when complete. 

If the border is longer than 36.5",  measure each unit/pair to find the ones that are too wide and snug up that seam allowance. The FIRST PAIR will measure 6.25" when sewn to the next PAIR, allowing for the outside SEAM ALLOWANCE:

The pairs already sewn to other pairs need to be 6". It is very EASY for borders to GROW just a little with each seam. It is best for me to check each unit/pair as I create the border.

Next we make the four SMALL CORNER BLOCKS that will are used as you add the four 3" borders to the center. Becky shows two LOG CABIN options: a Log Cabin with a CORNER square and a Log Cabin with a CENTER square. 

You can use ANY 3" unit you like. I used Nine Patches for mine:

Here are some alternative ideas:

Once your borders are the right size follow the pattern instructions to add a Log Cabin or your choice of block to the LEFT and RIGHT sides of the TOP and BOTTOM borders to complete the center. 

Finally, carefully cut the narrow BROWN SASHING strips to the EXACT size of the center and add them. Good job! The MIDDLE is getting DONE!

The final 6" CORNER BLOCK also gets made this month. I had a little trouble with my first one. I sewed the wrong sections together:

I should have taken my own advice: WATCH THE VIDEOS, READ THE PATTERN! 

The second time was better. And I didn't trim the outside edges of the papers until the star was assembled. This allowed me to be sure my star was 6.5" and I had a 1/4" beyond each star point:

Another thing I tried to do was keep straight of grain on the outside edge of each section. This meant I usually placed the white fabric on the paper first, then added the blue star point:

Whenever I sew seams with ODD ANGLES or more than FOUR FABRICS coming together, I machine BASTE the seam first. It is much easier to remove basting threads and readjust if I need to:

Machine basting, long stitch set at 5.0

Check to see if you are happy with the intersections. If so, set the machine back to normal piecing length, 2.0 for me, and now sew the complete seam. Here I like this basting so I will complete the seam:

This is a good FIVE POINT STAR and a block I like. Paper piecing it works well for me. I use Freezer Paper so I can use the pattern multiple times. 

Next month we get started on the wider 6" Borders. This will be regular piecing--NO PAPERS TO PRINT!

Let's quilt.

Barbara