I just received the Joana placemats of the Casafina product line. They are a set of four and they are made of recycled cotton. They are a bit pricey for me, but I like to support artisans creating textiles by hand. The description says that they are handwoven in Portugal on a traditional loom.
The cream color of the background is beautiful and crisp. The black and blue intersecting lines make for a pretty pattern and give additional interest to the pieces. The mats are tightly woven and are very sturdy. There is nothing flimsy about these. I have attached a picture of the back stitching which is well done.
The instructions say machine wash and dry. They can also be ironed. I have other handwoven pieces and while I try to treat them with care the reality is that they wash very well and last much longer than machine woven items that I have.
They are 12x16, which is a decent size, so they work for my table and dinnerware. The color choices given are blue and white or black and white. The blue is actually blue and black stripes on a cream background. I imagine the black is black stripe only.
I am giving them 5 stars as I believe they are attractive, durable, and support hand made products.
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