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Small First

I like to warm up before starting a big quilt project by making something small, like this dog bowl mat from two vintage patchwork blocks I bought from an estate sale lot. I used only scrap fabric, batting and binding to make it as well. I'm having some trouble with my hands again due to a flare-up of arthritis, so this helped work out some of the stiffness (it's also why the quilting stitches are so big.)

The puppies are sloppy drinkers and think their water bowl is a toy sometimes, so the mat helps keep my tile floor from becoming into a giant slip-n-slide.

The boys seem to like it.

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