Hey Everyone, welcome back to Technique Tuesday.
It is good practice to label each and every quilt that you make. I have to say that when I first started making quilts I did not put any labels on but now that my quilts are on display in shops and such I put a label on them all. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate – something simple will do the job. Of course, the primary reason for labelling for me is to help prevent them getting lost somewhere, but for many, it’s a heritage thing. By placing a label with your name, date and the occasion for making the quilt, generations later, people can follow the origin and story of that quilt.
These days, making a great label is accessible to everyone. There are great printable fabric products out there that you can print text and pictures onto with your home inkjet printer. This makes making a label really easy. Another option is just to write directly onto a piece of fabric with a pigment pen. Pigment pens should not fade, wash away or harm the quilt in any way.
I am currently using the June Taylor Colorfast printable fabric sheets but I do prefer the Electric Quilt Printables Inkjet Fabric Sheets as they are much softer and easier to hand sew in place.
A package of June Taylor printable fabric sheets
What to put on the label
If the quilt is being given away then only a few pieces of information are needed such as the date it was made, the name of the quilt and your name the quilt maker.
If the quilt is being used for shows, sample, etc then a bit more information should be added such as:
- Name of quilt
- Date
- Your name
- Company name or logo
- Your address
- Phone number
- E-mail address and website if you have one
Making the label
Labels can be as simple or elaborately designed as you want. EQ is great for designing labels and that is a topic for another post. Today I am just going to stick with a simple one.
On the computer, you can use a program such as Word or any other office program to design the label. Pick whatever font you would like and then just type the info onto the page whatever size you need to fit on the label. You can also make the font any colour that you wish if you have a colour printer.
When making labels I try to put more than one on a page as I am not sure how easy the fabric sheet will go through the printer a second time especially since it will no longer be a proper letter size piece of fabric if I have cut a corner out for a label previously.
When putting the fabric sheet in the printer make sure it is oriented the proper way so the image is printed on the front of the sheet and not the back. It is always good to do a test run on regular paper. Mark an x on the paper somewhere and place it in the tray facing down. Print off the label and then check to see if the x is on the side with the label. If you do not see the x then the paper was in the tray the wrong way. Each printer is different so do a test run first.
Make sure to follow the instructions from the manufacturer for optimal results. Each product is a little bit different.
Examples
Label on a a machine quilting sample. Gives details on the type of quilting motif and thread used.
Label on a machine quilting sample.
Label on a quilt used as a store or class sample. States name and contact details.
Label on a shop or class sample
Label on a quilt for a show.
Label on a show quilt
Label on a quilt that is for sale. I have signed the label using a pigment pen.
Label on a quilt that is for sale
Attaching the labels to the quilt
I hand sew mine in place with a blind hem stitch to the back right hand corner of the quilt normally. I usually fold over the edges of the label about a quarter inch and iron them down with a steam iron. This gives a nice finished edge so that no raw edge is showing.
When I am making labels for class samples such as machine quilting like stippling then I just put a piece of fusible web on the back and attach it to the sample that way but for a quilt this is not the best practice as the glue will eventually give way over time especially if the piece is being washed.
These printable fabric sheets definitely make label making easy. The downside of them is that they are expensive and there are not many sheets in a package. There is a product out there called Bubble Jet Set 2000 which will allow you to set your own fabric to be printed. But that’s another post for another day!
Happy Quilting!
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I put who it is for, the date, and my name, sometimes a first initial and last name and a number. If it is my quilt, I put the date and my name, and the number. I have started numbering my quilts and yes, I am still in the single digits! but not for long.
I do not use a label, rather I stitch by hand into the corner the letters etc. Sometimes I use a contrasting thread and if it is mine, I may use the color of the backing. It doesn’t stand out but it is for me, not others.
I use freezer paper and any ironable fabric for my labels. Just cut the freezer paper to fit your inkjet printer then iron your fabric to the shiny side of the freezer paper. I’ve been doing this for several years and have never had a problem with it jamming the printer.
I’ve used everything from plain white cotton to bold prints with the text inside a solid light portion of the print. I’ve also used EQ to incorporate the colors/patterns from my quilt that I’ve scanned into EQ. With the plain white/ivory fabric you can add color from the printer to create a pattern/design that coordinates with your quilt. I’ve even used it to add a poems & verses to the front sides of the quilts.
whoa, that’s really cool. Do you have to do anything to set the ink before attaching it? Is it stable when washed?
Because a lot of my quilts are also store samples I have taken to using a pigma pen on one of the fabrics in the quilt or on muslin. I then sew the label into the backing of the quilt so it forms part of the backing. This allows me to quilt the label right into the quilt. It also makes it virtually impossible for the label to be removed – which ultimately is what I want.
That’s a great way to do the label Jo-Ann as long as you think to make the label well in advance and I usually don’t.