JANUARY 2006: A new year is upon us and, as always, we greet it with great
anticipation of good things to come. New Year's resolutions come to mind, of course. One
resolution we might consider making this year would be to follow through on putting labels on
our quilts. We are often told that this is an important conclusion to making a quilt. It has even
been suggested that antique quilts that have labels attached may be more valuable. I expect
that my quilts will be valuable only to my children, but I would still like to have my quilts
identified, including when and where they were made. I make my quilt labels on the computer
and this gives me the ability to put as much information on a label as I wish. If I designed the
pattern I will make a note of it. If the quilt design was created by someone else, I put that on
the label. I also want to identify the quilter and the type of batting. If the quilt is a gift, you may
even put washing instructions on it.
HOW TO: My method for making labels is
simple. Purchase a roll of freezer paper at the
grocery store, cut an 8-1/2 by 11 inch piece.
Cut a piece of fabric, such as muslin, a little
larger than the paper. Position it on the shiny
side of the freezer paper. Iron the fabric so
the heat fuses it to the paper. The shiny side
of the freezer paper is plastic coated, so don't
let your iron touch the plastic. When the two
are fused together use your rotary cutter and
trim the edges. If the edges come loose, iron
them down again. You can now design a label
on your computer and feed the fabric/freezer
paper sheet into the printer. I usually make
three labels to a sheet of paper, trim them
down, leaving a margin of 1-1/2 inches for a
seam allowance around the information. Press
well with your iron to heat-seal the ink. Then I
sew two inch strips of fabric around it like a
border on a little quilt. It displays the label with a nice little frame. Tuck under the edges and
stitch it on the back of your quilt.
This year I made labels for small quilted Christmas gifts and fused them to the back of the
project with fusible web. It is an easy way to say Merry Christmas and place your name on the
item as well as the year. If you are making lots of home-made gifts you can run off quite a few
small labels on a page. Easier still, check with your local quilt shop. They may carry products
that are already prepared for making computer labels.
If you prefer a hand written label, it is still helpful to press the fabric to the freezer paper to
help stabilize it.
STORY: Last year I heard a great story. My aunt's brother, in Mesa, Arizona, likes to
frequent antique shops. He enjoys looking at everything there is to see. He spotted some
quilts piled up on a chair and walked over to take a look. The quilt on the top was interesting; it
had names embroidered on it. Upon closer inspection he saw the name of a woman he knew
years ago. As he studied the rest of the names he was surprised to find the names of his sister
and his mother also embroidered on the quilt and the year,1936. Of course he purchased the
quilt! It seems that his mother had begun the project with a group of young women from
church and later one of them got to keep it. Thanks to the embroidered names, the quilt found
its way back home. And a happy home it is! The quilt has been gently washed and a sleeve has
been attached and it is hanging in a prominent place in his home. Don't you love it!
Label your quilts and preserve your place in history!
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