I am making a set of placemats for each of my SIL's. The first set I did I used a 12" block design and then added about 3" of fabric to each side. Then I quilted and added the binding and it took me so darn long that I said forget it. Now I just cut the same fabric for the front and back, quilt and then bind. It still takes some time but not as much as making a block design.