Patchwork Placemats

[sew].

I have always had patchwork placemats on the sewing to-do list. Because they are just a slightly larger version of a mugrug. Which you all know I love.

However, I find most placemats a tad too large, especially for a family of seven eating at a round table. We need to squish in a bit.

These were a happy accident, actually. I made a strip-pieced quilt as a Christmas gift, using all low-volume 2 1/2" strips, but added in some pops of colour from a rainbow charm pack.  Except then I didn't like the pops of rainbow colour in the quilt, so I abandoned that darn rainbow endeavour in favour of some pops of Cotton & Steel. Sorry, no pics of the quilt but it did turn out fabulous because Cotton & Steel totally rocks.  Moving on ... 

I was left with a chunk of piecework, so ... 

Enter placemats. 

OK, so I might not have chosen the light colours to get stained up at suppertime but they are washable after all. They wash soooo well. And pretty, right? Besides, they don't have to be just for putting your dishes on. My computer sits on one of these placemats, its like a landing pad.

Gotta say. Placemats are an excellent way to practice different machine quilting patterns. You're working with just a small piece, so it quilts up quickly.  I used a cheater binding to make it extra fast.    

I really like the straight-line quilting of the above placemat. Very modern-looking. The quilt I made was all straight-line quilted - it takes a ton of time but the results are worth it.

The quilting in the placemat below is a variation of pebbles. It was fun to play with.

And its hard to go wrong with good old squiggly lines. 

What are your go-to preferences for free-motion? I must admit I remember when stipple quilting was all the rage. But there are so many more options.

I really like this book, recommended by a friend of my sister's, as a reference for free-motion patterns. Check it out here: Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters.

So there you have it, quilty-sewy friends. Patchwork placemats. Happy Monday!!