Looking forwards or back?

When the younger daughter visited just before Christmas, she asked me to make her a set of Christmas table mats.  I wasn't sure whether I would get to them before the move - there is still a lot to do, particularly in the garden.  But the weather dictates against anything other than cowering in the studio, so I got out the material and started cutting.

Looking at this photo, and given that I have plenty of fabric, I have decided to change the way I am using the white material, to ensure that whole birds are visible in the borders rather than headless ones!