Portuguese placemats

Over the last few weeks i've been busy making placemats. I want to give something special to my family on our up coming trip to Portugal at the end of the month. They've been a great opportunity to try out a few new techniques and enjoy quilting something that isn't too large.

So each afternoon when my little boy is asleep, i head off to the dining room, where i create and whip up something fresh to give.

This was one of the first and i like the colours and design very much. I based the design on the 'Mondrian' block designed by Jamie Moilanen that i saw in Modern Blocks.

I chose to quilt some spirals on it and had some fun doing them....

The next one i made used some Alexander Henry fabric i had left over from a skirt i'd made my sister for Christmas a couple of years ago.

Making and sewing the uneven strips was harder than i imagined, but i based the layout on the beautiful red 'Two by Six' block designed by Natalie Hardin in Modern Blocks. I think the quilting pattern turned out quite nicely.