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Dog Quilt Patterns Come in Many Breeds...varieties!
If you want to make a quilt for a dog-lover, you will certainly have fun with the project! There are almost as many dog quilt patterns as there are breeds of dogs
If the recipient of your quilt loves Scottie dogs, you will find various Scottie dog quilt patterns available for free online. Some are appliqu?uilt projects and others are foundation quilting projects. There's also a very good Scottie dog block quilt pattern design for those who prefer traditional block piecing.
If you enjoy appliqu?uilting, you can find just about any breed you'd like to create your dog quilt pattern. Whether your quilt will feature a poodle or a boxer, there are many dog quilt patterns online, free for the using. If you have a specific breed in mind, use your favorite search engine to look for the dog quilt pattern you need.
If you want to feature cute dogs in general on your dog quilt pattern, there are plenty of options as well. One is called a "Floppy Eared Dog" and is sometimes referred to as the "Happy Dog" quilt pattern. The cut puppy would make an adorable quilt for young and old alike, either as a quilted throw or a full size quilt!
There is also a Sundrop Puppy dog quilt pattern available for free online. This dog quilt pattern was created to honor the special dogs who worked in rescue efforts after the September 11 bombing of America's World Trade Center. The Sundrop Puppy dog quilt pattern is offered free online and is to be used for children's charitable causes. Enlarge the puppy to make a coordinating pillow or cherished stuffed animal.
If the recipient of your quilt likes cats and dogs, the two animals harmoniously come to live in the puppy and cats quilt pattern. This quilt features blocks of cats with small fish cutouts combined with a puppy and his favorite treat, a bone. This cat and dog quilt pattern is sure to delight those who love pets!
You can always create a truly personalized dog quilt pattern by using your favorite traditional quilt pattern, and transferring photos of your featured dog onto the blocks. The transfer to fabric is simply done at home by using photo transfer paper available from your local hobby or craft store. Make sure you get the paper that fits the color of fabric you plan to use. The transfer paper you would use for white (and light colored) fabrics differs from the paper you would use to transfer to darker fabrics.
If you plan to use white or a light colored fabric, you could use a process known as digital direct to garment printing.
Since the equipment used for this process is generally expensive, most people don't have direct to garment printers in their homes. The process is becoming more populare due to the soft feel of the transfer on the fabric. Photos printed with digital garment printing remain soft and long-lasting. The photo actually becomes part of the fabric because the inks penetrate the fibers! To find a digital garment printer in your area, check with local screen printers to see if they provide the process.
If you decide to try transferring your dog photos to your quilt with direct to garment printing, make sure your printed uses a digital process, not a sublimation process. Sublimation requires chemical pretreatment of the fabric and it will lose its natural look and feel.
About the Author
Penny Halgren, a quilter of 27 years, enjoys sharing her knowledge of quilting with those who would like to learn how to quilt. Sign up for a free newsletter, quilting tips and quilt block patterns at http://www.How-to-Quilt.com