Quilt Labels

How many times have you come across an antique quilt and wondered about the maker.  Who was she/he?  Why did they make this particular quilt?  Where did she/he live?  

Some day someone may be asking the same questions about your quilts.   So PLEASE put a label on the back of your quilt!   Not only for historical purposes, but for your family.  When did Mom make that quilt?   Was this Mom's quilt or Aunt Jane's?  Quilts that are given as gifts should have a label too. 

There are different ways to add a label.  As a longarm quilter, I found that most people add a label after the quilt has been quilt.  They'll sew it down in the corner using the binding to cover 2 of the four raw edges and turning under the other two edges.  If you are piecing the label into the back make sure you have it moved away from the edges of the backing.  You don't want to have it quilted and then find your label didn't make it all the way into the backing.   There were several quilts I quilted for clients that I had to load the quilt with the bottom of the quilt and backing at the top of my machine to make sure the label made it into the quilt!

Some people fold a square of fabric in half into a triangle, and again sew it into the corner binding, having only the folded edge to tack down.  Some have left this folded edge unsewn and tucked in washing instructions if the quilt is given as a gift.

An example of a label sewn into the backing  is one of my own quilts.  It was a simple Irish chain quilt that I had planned to use penguin fabric I loved.  It was a queen sized quilt that I was hand quilting.  I was afraid my husband wouldn't want penguins all over our bed quilt.  I ended up quilting the outline of penguins on the front and put my penguin fabric and block on the back.  It became the label.

You can print out labels too.  Either with pre-bought fabric attached to paper, or make your own using freezer paper.  I did this one to the left for a quilt I was entering in an exhibit.  (I've blacked out my phone number, and old address for this posting.)  I should redo the label for a more personal touch.

For the most part labels are hand written with indelible ink.  Writing on fabric can be difficult.  Iron a piece of freezer paper to the back of the fabric to stabilize it.  I can't write straight for the life of me.   Using a heavy Sharpie, I draw lines on the paper side of the freezer paper.  Once it's ironed onto the fabric, you can see the lines and write out a nice label.

Which brings us to What do you write on a label.   Of course your name and date.  I generally use the month and year I finished the quilt.  If it's for a birthday or wedding, use that date.  You can also add your city and state.  The title of the quilt if you've given it one.  A message to someone you're giving it to.  You may want to add how the quilt was pieced or quilted.  (By hand or machine). Type in Quilt labels on the internet and you'll find all sorts of poems or sayings for labels.  You can even find decorated labels you can print on fabric.

The label  below I printed for a miniature double wedding ring quilt I made for my great niece.  Since she is not a quilter, I gave her information about the quilt design.  Added her name for ownership of the quilt and the date of their wedding.  Then a message from us, and finally how the quilt was made and by whom.  I had made a similar one for her brother when he married.  They were small enough to put in shadow box frames.

You'll notice I generally use my maiden name as my middle name.  This is so that in the future, if one of my quilts is deemed an antique and someone is trying to track my history, they have my maiden name.

The Double Wedding Ring Quilts for my niece & nephew

Hope these have given you some ideas on how to create your own labels.  Now go get labels on your quilts!