Happy 4th of July, everyone! We started the day off with a neighborhood parade. I marched in the parade with my son and dog. Although my dog is not a dachshund, he is part hound!

Here’s a pic of my patriotic dog, getting ready to march in the parade:

4th of July Dog

This afternoon, I decided to paper-piece some little dachshund blocks for a quilt that I’m making as a wedding gift. These are the smallest paper-pieced blocks that I’ve made with a finished size of just 6-inches by 3-inches! I’ve completed 4 of 8 little pups so far.

Here are 4 together with 2 dogs running up and 2 dogs running down:

4 Little Dachshunds

Aren’t these little dogs cute? Here’s a closeup with a 6-inch ruler to show the scale of the pieces:

Little Blue Dachshund

I think the smallest piece is about 1/8-inch by 1/8-inch!! What a challenge to paper-piece! I used my add-an-eighth inch ruler for all these blocks since the add-a-quarter inch was a tad bit too large.

Tiny Fabric Pieces!

I have 4 more left-facing dogs to make. Once the quilting is complete, I’ll embroider little noses and add button eyes to each dog. This pattern is from Janet Kime’s book, It’s Raining Cats and Dogs. I definitely recommend that you have some paper-piecing experience before beginning the projects from this book!

This evening, we plan to have a little BBQ in the backyard and watch fireworks!

Happy 4th of July!
~Jennifer