I've made plenty of table toppers and table runners-but never a placemat! I've made my first one using the quilt-as-you-go technique and machine sewing the binding (a no-no when it comes to quilts, but for placemats... especially since the fabric and thread are black--hardly even can tell!) I dug into my stash and used colors that will coordinate very nicely with the "coffee" fabric I received from a friend to make placemats like the ones I admired in her kitchen. So perhaps eventually I will have 6-8 placemats that will look terrific! Here is the first one complete--