Quilt Labels, Why are They Important?
Imagine a world where every antique quilt has a label on the back. Each one says the year it was made, who made it, why they made it, who they made it for, and the name of their pattern. Wouldn’t that be awesome? Oh, to be able to take a peek into the lives of the women (and sometimes men) who stitched the quilts from so long ago. Guess what? We can make this happen in the future! Label your quilts and one day our descendants can live in a world where quilts are labeled.
What should you put on your quilt label?
Quilt labels are a personal thing. You get to choose what you add to it. Some quilters decide to only add their name and year. Others add more information. It’s up to you. Here is a list of things you may want to consider adding to your label: Name, Date, Who the quilt is for, the reason for the quilt (baby shower, wedding, etc), City/State/Province/Country, Pattern name, and possibly even care instructions, if you deem that necessary.
How Do I Add a Label?
There are many ways to add a label. Natalie from Missouri Star has an excellent tutorial on how to do so. (See below.) She just uses a small square of fabric and a fabric pen. You can find those pens here.
There are other ways, as well, to create a label. You can embroider the information onto a piece of fabric, rather than using permanent marking pens. You can also use printable fabric. With that method, you just type what you want the label to say into your computer. Load your printer with the printable fabric (it comes in sheets that look like regular printer paper) and you hit print. You can then cut the fabric to the right size and then sew onto the back of your quilt. You can also buy pre-printed labels.
So, there are so many ways to go about adding a quilt label. The best thing to remember is that this is your quilt and you get to do it your way! There is not a right way and a wrong way. Quilt labels are a wonderful way to personalize your quilt. We all know time flies and you will surprise even yourself when ten years from now you go back and read your labels. It may feel like you just made a particular quilt only a year or two ago, only to find out it has been ten! Labeling is important. Start today!
