It is GAME ON for 2026

 

It is a new year and I have been looking forward to The Quilt Show’s 2026 Block of the Month (BOM).

This year, the quilt, left, designed by one of my favorite quiltmakers, Becky Goldsmith, is called Game On!

Becky is mostly known for her applique work, but I doubt there is anything she can’t do, and do it well.

She was also the designer of one of my

favorite quilt projects, Sizzle, right, the last quilt I finished last summer. I wrote about that project in a previous blog post.  Sizzle now resides on the day bed in my sewing room/spare bedroom.

Becky’s design for ‘Game On’ was inspired by an exhibit of carnival game boards she explored during a visit to the Folk Art Museum in New York.

‘Game On’ has so many colors and different fabrics.

One of my favorite things to do with a new project is to pick out fabrics I’ve collected through my quiltmaking years. Normally, this is a fun exercise, but for this one, I couldn’t actually envision how I would make this in different colors. So, I decided that for the first time, I would just buy the kit and make the quilt as it is.

I have bought only one other quilt kit, many, many years ago. Admittedly I have yet to finish it. Someday I will get back to it, though my tastes have changed since I first bought it. Perhaps there will be more to say about that project at another time…

The ‘2026 Game On’ quilt kit comes in two options, one in solid fabrics and one in prints. I chose the latter.

When the package came with about 17 yards of fabric, all broken down into mostly fat quarters, the term used for approximately ¼ yard pieces, it was very exciting. I spent some time arranging the pieces according to the swatches in the enclosed printout. All those delicious fabrics with a mix of small prints, large prints, polka dots, and more, all the delicious colors, really made my day. I love new fabric and have bittersweet feelings about cutting into those pretty pieces, but once the first cut is done and the first seam sewn, I’m hooked.

Lots of quilters and podcasters and others offer BOMs. The way this BOM works, is that every month for the entire year, new directions are revealed at thequiltshow.com, along with instructional videos by the designer. And if that isn’t enough help, Barbara Black, a blogger, teacher, and Quilt Show employee offers her take on things through a live video every month and through her blog. She explains other methods of doing things and offers shortcuts and hints and tips that she has picked up over the years that are very helpful. She also answers quilter’s questions on The Quilt Show’s forum.

The pattern is free to members of The Quilt Show Star Members, of which I have been since Aug. 2020. I consider this to be one of the very best resources for quilters.

Most of the quilts I have made in the last six years have been Quilt Show BOMs. The designers of these projects are some of the best quilters in the world. I won’t lie; these projects have all been a learning experience for me. I still consider myself to be a newbie quilter, even though I have been quilting for about 25 years. There is always so much to learn and learning new skills always require practice.

I have always loved a good challenge, so I have made it a point to devote myself to this one project every year even if I never make anything else. Life often simply gets in the way of my quilting desires. But this year, I feel a renewed sense of creativity and productivity coming on. I can’t wait to see how that goes…

New Year, new quilt

 

As we embark upon another new year, and it seems like this story has played out so many, many times before, it is time to think about new quilting endeavors, not to mention completing some old ones. 

 

While I am not into New Year's Resolutions, I am rather excited about the upcoming year as it pertains to quilting. 

 

I'm looking forward to a new block of the month (BOM) quilt pattern that will begin Jan. 1 and continue throughout the next 11 months. As in the past several projects, Pick a Petal is hosted by The Quilt Show. Their offerings do not disappoint. 

 

These undertakings, in my view, offer an opportunity to grow as a quilter, often with new skills to learn and practice. Quilt Show BOMs are not easy, by any stretch, thereby providing me with the challenge I seem to crave in my quilting quest. 

 

This quilt will include some embroidery.

 

Sometimes I think I forget skills I just learned. I make the dumbest mistakes at times, which provides a little humor to my quilting life as well. After all, if you can't laugh at yourself when you bungle something when you know you know better, what is the point of trying? I see it as all part of the process. It is what seam rippers are for. I admit, I am getting pretty good at unsewing.

 

Case in point: My new quilting studio remains a bit stark with little, so far, to distinguish it as a quilting studio over simply a spare room.

 

So I decided to make a small table topper for a letter sorting case that my late husband used when he worked for the U.S. Postal Service.

I didn't want to fuss over anything, so I decided on a simple log cabin design. I even printed out a pattern, so as to not have to think much the size and number of strips I would needed for four blocks. 

 

I picked out fabrics and set out to follow the pattern. Well, that didn't work. The size was all wrong. 

 

I ended up measuring each strip and cutting it to fit. Then I realized I was sewing the strips in the wrong direction. I was on the third round when that occurred to me so I had to rip out all the seams and start again. Jeez! After all these years, screwing up a log cabin is pretty sad since it doesn't get much easier than this. 

 

But, I laughed at myself and persevered. I worked well after dark but got it done. It dawned on me, that my studio is a very pleasant place to hang out, even if it was a little longer time than I had intended.

 

About those old projects: I am hoping that this is the year I can get my act together and quilt one, two, or all three quilts I have yet to complete. The tops are done, and for one of them I have already decided on the backing fabric. I have purchased the batting and just need to get to it. I'm excited to get the past behind me and look forward to a new year and new projects.