A friend of mine who is getting her MFA in textile design has recently been fixated on the history of whitework quilting. Her obsession must be infectious, as I've been noticing (and coveting) all sorts of white quilted fabrics.

To wit: these machine-woven cotton bath mats from Anthropologie, which evoke the technique of matelassé, a hand-quilting style common to Marseilles and small villages in Portugal.

Above: Woven Portuguese Bath Mat in white (also available in cream); $54 from Anthropologie.

Above: A detail of the white Woven Portuguese Bath Mat.

Above: In a different pattern, the Woven Portuguese Bath Mat is shown here in cream (also available in white); $54 from Anthropologie.