ADD A LABEL TO YOUR NEXT QUILT
Posted by Judy Taylor on
We all know that quilting takes some WORK, and whether you’re giving that finished masterpiece to your niece, selling it on Etsy, or even just keeping the dang quilt cause you made it and you deserve it... that quilt needs its own personal label.
Quilt labels come in all shapes, sizes, materials and styles, so you can experiment and figure out what works for you. If you have any interest in entering your quilt into a gallery or show, one main requirement is a label, so you might as well start labeling all of your quilts! Here are some great, creative ways to label your quilt, so you get credit where credit is due!
Twill Tape
Sometimes, it’s good to go the KISS route (Keep It Simple, Superstar!) This twill tape is a great way to get your label on your quilts without getting too elaborate. This picture is a quilt and label made on Twill Tape. Hand stitch your name on the Twill Tape. Or there are several companies out there who professionally print on Twill Tape that you can purchase online. Then simply machine stitch the twill tape label into the corner when applying binding on the face of the quilt. Then hand stitch the binding over.
Print Your Own on Freezer Paper
1. On the computer, center and type the information you want to appear on your label, such as the name of the quilt, the size, who made it, the city, and the date, etc. Choose a font you like, but bold type will show up the best on your label.
2. Iron the fabric you want to use for the label onto the shiny side of an 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheet of freezer paper. Place the freezer-paper sheet into your printer so that when it feeds through the printer, the label information will print onto the fabric side. Print the label. NOTE: Do not use a laser printer. Use only an ink jet printer.
3. Peel back the fabric from the freezer-paper sheet and heat set the ink with a hot, dry iron, or use a commercial solution such as Bubble Jet Set to set the ink into the label. The solution is highly recommended if you use colored ink.
4. For smooth edges on a quilt label, pin the label right sides together with a piece of muslin or lightweight interfacing. Machine stitch around all sides of label. Cut a slit in the lining of the muslin in the center and turn the label right sides out through the opening and press. Hand stitch the prepared label to the back bottom corner of the quilt.
You can also machine or hand embroidery your label and also attach to the back of your quilt.
And my favorite is this method. You can use the printer method above, or use hand embroidery, or use a permanent fabric marker to make your label but cut it out in a square on point. Then just fold it in half and iron and sew it into your binding before you turn your binding back to hem. Then just slip stitch the one edge down. No raw edges!! I love it.
Whatever method you choose to you, there is no wrong way to label a quilt. Get your name on there, let people know it came from your, talented, crafty hands. You deserve it.