Quilt labels - what do you say?

[yankiequilter]

I haven't made a quilt to give a loved one in a very long time and now have the Harley quilt for my brother. And I've been making so many community quilts that I almost forgot that I need to make a label. How do you word your labels? Would you say, "To Vernon", or would you say, "For Vernon" ? I don't have a problem filling in the rest of the label, just wondering if I should start with TO or FOR. Maybe either is OK.

[LeeAnn]

I use "For". Sounds better to me.

[Guest Linda S]

You can say absolutely anything you want. The most important thing is documentation. If the quilt gets lost, or a hundred years from now, you want someone to know who made it and what it was for. This is what was on the label of the pinwheel quilt my sister and I just made for our other sister:

Made to celebrate the

60th Birthday

of Barbara Steller

October 6, 2010

by her sisters

Ginny Steller (piecer)

and

Linda Steller (quilter).

Now lie down and take a nap!

Linda

[JustSewSimple]

I'd say: Quilted for my baby brother, Vernon, on the ocassion of our birthday and the date!

[witha'K'quilting]

especially made for...

made with love for...

something along those lines is what i like to use.

[Dave-Jane]

Or," After a long ride Vernon"---Dave B.

[Sandra Darlington]

Speaking of labels....how do you make your labels?

Purchased yardage of pre-printed labels and use an archival ink to write your message on it?

Embroidered on your embrioidery machine?

Printed from your computer?

Something else?

I'd love to know how others do it.

Also, what would you do if it was a commissioned quilt? Would you ask the customer if she/he wanted a label and then make one for them? Would you charge extra for this if you were already making the entire quilt?

Just curious...thanks.

[ffq-lar]

I like a hand written label--that personal touch is nice especially since most of the few quilts I make are gifts for family/friends.

A commission quilts perhaps needs something more..um...professional? I would charge a bit for the label unless you have a label printing program that is easy to use. You are still using your time and materials as well as attaching it. I would let the customer decide, but ask them for a written or emailed information sheet so all names and dates are correct on the label. (You can imagine why I recommend this!!)

I made a pretty label for a batik quilt by taking a piece of matching fabric and discharging an oval area in the center with a bleach pen. It faded the center to a pale area that still showed the pattern in the batik. I neutralized it, used a pigma pen to write the info and attached.

[Sandra Darlington]

Thanks, Linda. A very nice idea.

So little time...so much to learn. My new quote.

[Guest Linda S]

I use Bubble Jet Set (for HP Printers) and treat the fabric, iron it to a sheet of freezer paper, and feed it through my printer. I generally take a photo of the quilt, format it as a watermark, and then print the text over it. Once it is printed, I heat set it with an iron, then take the label off the freezer paper and lay the label into a tray of HOT water and Retayne. After it soaks for about ten minutes, I let it dry and then heat set it again. Very washable and supple.

[Sandra Darlington]

Thanks for that explanation, Linda. It is very helpful.

[Gator]

I embroidery all my labels. If the quilt is for a family member, I usually put, Made with love for " "

[CrazyAboutQuilting]

I embroider all my labels too.........and most of the time, I will embroider it directly onto the backing before I load it on my frame. Needless to say, I measure and re-measure to make sure that it will not end up halfway off the side or bottom of the quilt. But this way I don't have to worry about hand stitching it on after the quilt is done. The first quilt I made, I sewed the label on by hand..........definitely NOT one of my talents since it came off after it had been washed a couple times! So now I don't take any chances...................and for the ones that are gifts for family members, they are "made with love", for others they are "from the sewing room of" for "whomever" and the date.

[meg]

For - definately.