A Taco Pillow

My younger sister Martha has always adored dogs, and she and her husband have always had them.  I remember the beautiful standard poodles they had for years, as well as two smaller poodles prior to them.  When they moved to Florida, Taco became a member of the family.  This little chihuahua was named Taco, appropriately!  I enjoyed reading the history of chihuahuas online, and learned (not to my surprise) that the breed is named for the Mexican state of Chihuahua.  This breed is the smallest recognized breed of dog by the American Kennel Club.

After Taco went on to doggie heaven, I asked Martha to send me some photos of him.  I had in mind to make her something that used one or the other of the photos.  I decided, finally, to make a pillow for her upcoming December birthday.

I used Southwestern fabrics for the pillow, thinking that it might end up eventually in Martha's New Mexico home.  Though the bright colors might brighten up a Minnesota winter!  Since moving from Florida, Martha divides her time between their home in Placitas, NM, and St. Paul, MN, where her daughter and family live.

Below are close-ups of the photo I used for the center of the pillow.  I scanned the image, "flipped" it, and then printed it onto TAP.  Then I placed the TAP on some plain fabric and heated it with a very hot iron until the image transferred. (You have to flip the image so that it will be properly oriented when ironed onto fabric.)   The back of the pillow uses a third Southwestern-motif fabric.