A new project: Placemats and Table runner

My husband asked if I could make a new set of place mats for our dining room. It must have had something to with the fact that currently on the dining table is a set of 3 Halloween place mats that are probably about 15 years old! 

I have plenty of beautiful tablecloths  but for some reason I don't like using a tablecloth for everyday use. I prefer place mats but I only have a couple and somehow they have seemed to dwindle.

Last winter my husband bought me several yards of Robert Kaufman design in a wine print. This fabric along with some new quilting templates that I got for my birthday this year spawned into an idea. I was at first going to just do a simple set of place mats but then I thought that place mats are the perfect size to try out new techniques on. The templates that I bought were for hexagon, diamond and a crazy pattern. For this project I am using the hexagon and diamonds.

Designing the pattern on graph paper was fun and then I got to sewing up a test piece and OH. MY. GOODNESS. Piecing together hexagons and diamonds takes precision and patience! Well at the very least I can say that I tried something new.

playing with some ideas with the diamonds

The hexagons and the new EZ Hexagon template.

Test piece

 I have several other accent fabrics to go with the wine prints. At least I have something to keep me busy!