improv strip placemats

I've been meaning to make new placemats for our home for quite some time now. I wanted something simple and uncomplicated and I'm happy I finally settled on these improv strip pieced placemats.

All the patchwork strips came from my scrap box, yay! It always feels extra wonderful to make even a tiny dent in the amount of scraps I own. I'm pretty sure they multiply every time I turn my back on them :).

I machine quilted my first placemat, but I simply didn't like the way it looked. I think I secretly really wanted to hand quilt them from the beginning, so I ripped all the machine stitches out, pulled out my hand quilting supplies, and got to work.  Oh, such joy! The finished mats do feel a bit luxurious with all the hand quilting, I love that.

 

I used some of my screen printed Essex linen panels for the backings and love the extra stability they add to finished mats. Oh, and I added one layer of cotton batting to the middle as well. Makes place mats soft and squishy without adding too much bulk.

Each mat finished at 12" x 16" and I'm super excited to start using them.

Wishing you all a beautifully relaxed and creative weekend. Svetlana