Dachshund Wall Hanging

In August 2004 my husband and I attended The World Quilt Show at the Devos Center in Grand Rapids, MI. My parents met us there. As we first entered this quilt show, booths were set up displaying vendors goods and sample quilts. I was drawn to a booth with sample quilts showing various breeds of dogs. Since we had just acquired our 2nd Dachshund in February, I was drawn to a quilt showing a dog that looked very similar to Torrie. The sample was made using red and brown fabrics depicting a "red" dachshund. After finding the pattern created by Sharon Malec of Malec Designs and talking with the vendor, she directed me toward an additional purchase of pre-packaged fabrics in black and gray fabrics. She also recommended an adorable backing fabric showing various breeds of dogs. When writing my check to cover the cost of the purchase, I discovered that I actually knew the vendor from about ten years prior.

This quilt created quite a challenge for me as I was not use to piecing such intricate pieces together without using applique' techniques overcasting raw edges. This pattern required turned edges. I used freezer paper to trace and cut out my pattern pieces with one-quarter inch seam allowance. I used my light box to trace the pieces and then fabric glue to turn the edges before applying them to my background fabric. To add a little life to the completed piece, I highlighted the eyes and nose with white fabric paint. I used an echo-stitch to quilt around the dachshund applying only simple quilting. The loops and buttons were added to hang the quilt. Rather than sew button holes into the quilt, I hand-sewed small snaps underneath the buttons.

To see other picture quilt patterns by Sharon Malec, visit her website. I've created a link to this post.http://www.malec-designs.com/index.html

The picture shown below is Torrie.