Not in the plan

I love joining mini quilt swaps, although I will admit sometimes it can feel a bit daunting with the endless deadlines. I even have a swap list to keep track of what I'm signed up for and when they're due. A few weeks ago I mailed my package for the dog mini swap (when, oh when will that arrive?!), but I began to worry that one person in the group I was looking after had a partner who flaked. This woman made the most lovely and thoughtful mini for her partner and I didn't want her to be disappointed, so I decided to make a mini for her as well.

My inspiration came in a flash when I saw this new dog block pattern. So cute! And I knew the style would go perfectly with the famous cat blocks. The person I was making for has one dog and five, at current count, cats. Right away I knew I'd make a dog and five kitties to go around it, then write below "surrounded by love." I am so happy with how this turned out! Especially considering I got it together in a weekend. The doggy block is a pretty good likeness of her dog too, a brindle with big floppy ears.

I will admit I enlisted my mom to help me with the letters. I've never done applique before and figured out how to use the sticky stuff to get the letters on the background (the only boo-boo being I made two Bs instead of two Ds when my dummy brain forgot about how they're reversed). But then I just did not have the skill to top stitch around those teeny, curvy letters. I might still be working on it if my mom didn't jump in to do it. And she stitched down the binding, to boot!

So now I've got two dog minis out in the mail, and me waiting anxiously for them to arrive. Oh and I just popped my text mini swap package in the mail this morning, so another to wait for!