Need ideas for a "travel" quilt
 

I want to make a quilt for my son. I'll probably do a very basic one for the first quilt, just so he has one (he's 19), but then I want to make a quilt that ties back to our travels together.

Some are a little "obvious" (I have Eiffel Tower fabric for France, and will piece a shamrock for Ireland), but when you think of these countries, what do you think of?

England
Ireland
Scotland (thistle?)
Wales (griffin?)
Italy (a gladiator? We went to gladiator school when we were there)
France (Eiffel Tower, have some fabric already)
Germany
Switzerland
Austria
Poland
Czech Republic
Belgium
The Netherlands

I'm going to need to make a lot of blocks to make a quilt, so all ideas are appreciated! Bonus if you can post a link to a block pattern or example.

I may also use some t-shirts that we bought along the way (one has "Stonehenge Rocks!").

England--Royals, Big Ben,London Bridge
Ireland--GREEN!, leprachauns, shamrock,Guiness
Scotland--thistle, the lion on their emblem, thistle, plaid
Wales--griffin and ??? Sean Connery!
Italy--wine, pasta,Venice, Rome,Vatican
France--Normandy, Paris, wine, berets,
Germany--beer steins, forests,
can't help much with the others--wish I'd been to all those places--only have made it to Ireland.

since there are lots of pictures, etc, i think a shadow box quilt would be nice http://madanquilting.blogspot.com/20...-tutorial.html

Switzerland--a chalet or cookoo clock
The Netherlands--a windmill or a wooden shoe
Mixing in Tshirts or country specific fabric would make it more interesting.

I don't really have any ideas, but can't wait to see what you make!

Funny one-checkered fabric for Czech Republic:D

At 19 he probably has a few subjects that interest him. A themed quilt would be nice but instead of adding elements that may not resonate, why don't you build it around the things he enjoys? Food, sports, games, etc. It's easy to find representations of each. You could also opt to present a composition of his favorite things throughout your travels. A personalized approach will be memorable and a lasting testament to the time spent.

You've been given quite a few suggestions but the one thing that kept playing in my head is what do these representations mean to him? He's a young man and I believe that reality should be borne in mind. Good luck.

Since you mentioned Eiffel Tower fabric, I thought I'd mention that Mary Fons created an adorable fabric line called Small Wonders for Springs Creative with nods to several of those countries: http://springscreative.com/maryfons/.

Another option would be to do the flags of some of those countries. Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, France & some of the others have fairly simple flags to piece together.

Sounds like fun project... and I think the skies the limit as far as ideas. You might have to design the blocks based on the fabric you have on hand or vice versa, choose fabric after you've decided on a block pattern. Good luck!

You might also print some fabric photos from your trips to make it really personal.