Love with a Twist Balloon Dog

Dippy Balloon Dog is the second of our appliqué blocks for the Love with a Twist quilt along. He is a loveable, friendly character with adorable big floppy ears. Awwwww.

There are two downloads in this post – make sure you get them both

In this post you will find a downloadable pdf for the shapes and layout to make this charming balloon dog. And a short pictorial on how the parts go together too.

There is also a second downloadable for people wanting to make the dog for the twin size version of the Love with a Twist quilt. For the original throw size quilt design, Dippy Dog faces right. However, because of where he sits in the twin size quilt, I preferred him to face left. It is totally up to you which orientation you prefer.

To allow you to chose your favourite orientation, I have added a layout file for the left-facing dog in addition to the full pattern for the right-facing pooch. To make the left-facing version you will have to reverse all the appliqué shapes before you trace and cut them. Don’t worry, I will remind you at the download button.

Things to remember as you sew along with Love with a Twist

• There are two throw versions of this quilt, which can be re-mixed into a twin size quilt. The instructions to cut and construct the throw quilts can be found here and for the twin quilt, here.
• Dippy Dog is Block 1B. It is the second option for Block 1 of the throw quilt. The other option, Block 1A, is the balloon poodle. You will need both Block 1A and 1B for the twin quilt.
• The appliqué templates provided are drawn in red lines and black lines. If you are doing raw-edge appliqué, ignore the line colours and simply work with the shapes supplied. If you want to do turned-edge appliqué, you will need to add a seam allowance to the black edges only. The red edges are where the shapes overlap and extra fabric allowance is already added.

A quick postscript about the paper I use to build my appliqués on

In the post for the poodle block we talked about using paper for building appliqués on. I have had some suggestions from international readers as to what is available in their area and works for them.

I can wholeheartedly recommend Multix Bake for people here in Australia.

Lynn in Canada uses and recommends Kirkland Parchment paper. Thanks for the details, Lynn, most appreciated.

If you have a non-stick heat-resistant brand you’d like to recommend, I am happy to update this list as we go along. Leave a comment or even better, send me a picture via email. You might just save someone in your part of the world a whole lot of money and/or hassle. That’s what I love about quilting communities.

Download your Floppy-Eared Dog pdf pattern here

The floppy-eared dog is the second option for Block 1 of the throw-sized version of Love with a Twist quilt. Download it here:

**** It is really important that you print this pdf at 100%, otherwise your pattern pieces will be the wrong size for the quilt blocks. Turn off any “fit to page” options in your printer dialog and ensure that the printout size is set to 100%. There are check boxes supplied in the document. If your printout is successful, these will measure 1″ square. The document is designed to fit on US Letter and A4 paper. ****

The second downloadable pdf

And a second download…. the second pdf contains only a layout diagram for the same dog, but facing left. To make the dog the way I have for the twin quilt you must reverse all the pattern pieces in the original pdf before you start. Please don’t forget this! Perhaps even write it on your printouts if you want to make a left-facing dog!! And of course the printing cautions above also apply to this second download.

What you will need to make the (raw-edge appliqué) Dippy Dog block:

If you have not pre-constructed your quilt top, you will need background fabric for your appliqué:

• If you are making Block 1B for the throw size quit you will need a background fabric piece of 13″ x 15.5″. This measurement does not include any trimming allowance.
• To make Block 1B for the twin size quilt you will need a background fabric piece of 14″ x 14.5″. Again, this measurement does not include any trimming allowance.
• So, if you use a piece of fabric 14.5″ x 16″or more, you will keep your options open and have a small trimming allowance 🙂

You will also need:

• one main fabric for the dog’s body (approx. 10″ x 8″) and a second for his ears and nose (8.5″ x 5″). My dog is made from Island Batik fabrics from the Ditty collection, given to me by Island Batik.
• scraps of white and black fabrics for the eyes
• fusible paper-backed fabric adhesive , approx 10″ x 13″
• thin batting for trapunto or your favourite stabiliser for stitching (optional)
• general tools and notions: sewing machine, iron etc, teflon ironing sheet or non-stick paper, small sharp scissors, pencil, quilting pins, grease-proof/tracing paper, machine embroidery or sewing threads for appliqué and embroidery

How to put together the Dog Balloon Appliqué

The pictorial that follows shows the construction of the left-facing dog. The construction order is identical for the right-facing dog, it’s just a mirror image.

Trace your appliqué shapes directly onto the backing paper of your fusible adhesive. Fuse the shapes to the back of your fabric, according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Then cut out each shape and remove the backing papers. They go together as follows:

Step 1

Assemble the layout diagram supplied and cover with an ironing sheet/non-stick paper. Position appliqué pieces D1, D3, D5 and D9 in place and secure them temporarily by touching them briefly with the tip of a hot iron.

Step 2

Similarly, position body piece D4.

Step 3

Next place pieces D2 and D7.

Step 4

Position appliqué pieces D6, D8 and D11.

Step 5

Next place pieces D12 and D15.

Step 6

And finish off the main balloon pieces with D10, D13 and D14.

Step 7

Place the eyes. If you would like, you can use a tracing of the dog’s features to make it easier to place the eyes as explained for the poodle appliqué.

Step 8

Give your appliqué a thorough pressing and transfer to your background fabric.

Stitch your appliqué dog down using your favourite method. The sample I have shown uses free-motion straight stitching over a low-loft polyester batting. I layer my appliqué over the polyester batting and secure with quilting pins. Then I stitch around my shapes 5-6 times to secure them thoroughly. And finish by removing the excess batting with curved blade scissors/snips.

Looking forward

We are well and truly started on our quilt adventure for 2019 now! Yay! Coming up….. February has two well known celebrations in it – Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day. In honour of these occasions we will be doing the Block 6 options next. Block 6 makes up the centre of the throw quilts. Block 6A is a pig for the incoming lunar year and Block 6B is the title block….. “LOVE”, of course.

Hopefully it will be easier for me to get the next two blocks out in a timely manner. Most of my time working on Love with a Twist has been taken up so far with the original drafts of the patterns and the overall construction instructions. None of these tasks need repeating… so now it is a case of getting into a rhythm of finessing, making and writing up each individual each block. The fun bit! 🙂 Enjoy!

P.S. Linking with BOMs Away at What a Hoot.

---

The Chameleon turns rainbow with pleasure when he hears from you. I am more reserved, so I will respond in gratitude by email instead. Now that it’s your turn…. Scroll right to the end, leave me a comment and tell me, what do you think? Thanks for connecting!

Would you like to keep in touch with Clever Chameleon and the fun quilty ideas I design as well as find all over the internet? You can follow directly for email updates, or through Bloglovin’, Pinterest, IG or FB. All your follow options can be found here. Don’t forget to link up all your current quilting projects on Tuesdays at our Colour & Inspiration Linky parties!