How to Make a Game Day Quilt

There's nothing like wrapping up in a quilt you made yourself while cheering on your team. A game day quilt also makes one of the best gifts out there for graduates, new students, and lifelong fans. The good news? It's a beginner friendly project you can finish in a weekend or two.

The Plan: A Simple Square Throw

This quilt uses 30 big squares, 5 across and 6 down. Big squares are perfect for showing off team logos, and they come together fast.

• Cut size: 10" squares
• Finished quilt: about 47 1/2" x 57", a great throw for the couch or the stadium

What You'll Need

• Team print: 1 1/4 yards of officially licensed UT Longhorns fabric or Texas A&M Aggies fabric, cut into 15 squares
• Coordinating solids or blenders: 1 1/4 yards total in your school colors and white, cut into 15 squares
• Backing: 2 yards of 108" wide backing, or 3 3/4 yards of regular width fabric
• Binding: 1/2 yard
• Batting: about 56" x 65"

Shortcut: a layer cake already comes in 10" squares, so you can mix it with your team print and skip some cutting.

Putting It Together

1. Cut your squares. From each 10" strip of regular width fabric, you'll get 4 squares.
2. Lay them out on the floor or a design wall, alternating team print with solids like a checkerboard.
3. Sew the rows. Use a 1/4" seam and press seams in opposite directions on each row so they nest together.
4. Join the rows, matching seams as you go.
5. Layer, quilt, and bind. Simple straight lines or an allover meander both look great here.

Tips for Sewing With Licensed Prints

• Center the logos. Cut each square so the logo or mascot sits right in the middle. This is called fussy cutting, and it makes a big difference.
• Watch the direction. Many team prints have a top and bottom. Lay everything out before sewing so no logos end up upside down.
• Buy a little extra for fussy cutting, since you'll have more leftover scraps.
• Pre-wash deep maroons and burnt oranges, or toss a color catcher in with the first wash of your finished quilt.

Make It Personal

Add a graduation year, a name, or a favorite saying with a label on the back. For a graduation gift, a few friends and family can sign plain white squares with fabric markers before you sew them in.

Find your team's fabric on our Texas college fabric page, with officially licensed prints and colors for schools across Texas. Questions about your project? We'd love to help.