label tutorial. {the rachel way.}

08 June 2009

it's here, it's here!!!
since i get asked how to make my labels {ALOT}
i'm sharing my way with yall.

i make my labels in mass so that i have them readily available.
this makes it easier to complete each & every quilt i make.
feel free to only make yours one at a time.

yall will need:
white bella solids fabric
heat n bond lite iron on adhesive
black sharpie ultra fine point marker
rotary cutter
ruler
mat
iron

take a 18ishx24ish piece of your white fabric
and iron it to a 17ishx23ish piece of heat n bond.
{per manufacturer's directions.}

square up all 4 sides of your fabric.
then cut desired label size from it.
my fav label size is 4x2.

look at that stack of ready made labels.
oh yeah...get all those label-less quilts ready.

{because i make these in mass, i keep these in a cute little tin box until needed.}

take your sharpie marker and start writing.

...like so...

endless possibilities here.
honestly.

when your label is ready to go on your quilt,
peel off the heat n bond.

lay your label in place & iron it on.

then do a cute little stitch around all the edges...
and voila...you just labeled your quilt.

to answer some questions i'm sure will be asked:
why heat n bond???
2 reasons...
1} to stabilize the fabric to make writing easier.
2} to attach it to your quilt easier.

why a sharpie instead of a fabric marker???
because i personally think the ink is better.
and i'm addicted to sharpies.
{i've never had a sharpie bleed or i wouldn't be advising the use of them.}

why don't you fold your edges in 1/4" for nice, even edges???
because this is what works for me.
my labels always hold up to washer, dryer & everyday use.
even if it ravels a little bit, so what, it's homemade.
and i ♥ the homemade look!!!

any other questions will be answered in the comments.

hope yall enjoy.

oh and one more thing...
toot your own horn!!!
if you make this, add the pic to my p.s. i quilt: sew & tell flickr group.

Pin It!

47 comments:

Desiree said...

Hey, here's a Kreativ Blogger award for you
http://hamncheezr.blogspot.com/2009/06/i-got-award.html

Erin @ Two More Seconds said...

Love it! So quick & easy. Plus it helps that you have freaking adorable handwriting!

Red Geranium Cottage said...

Very cute and so very helpful.

Jessie Keating said...

I never thought to use heat n bond! I just use freezer paper, then applique the label to the quilt (removing the paper before finishing up the sewing, of course.) And sharpies rule!!! :O)

Sherri said...

Great idea! Labeling is something I really need to work on!

Sarah C said...

do the sharpies bleed when you wash the quilt? im assuming not...but im a little scared to find out on my own!

ive never put a label on a quit...i know i know... but the idea of getting to use my colored sharpies may just change this.

Anina said...

Wonderful! This may actually make me put labels on my quilts.

Dawn said...

I think I might actually label my quilts now!! Thanks for the great idea!

QuiltNut Creations said...

you and that Bella fabric lol ;)

i do similar with mine. now i know if i had nice writing like you, i would label each and every quilt that i do *sigh*

i've also attached them to the backing before quilting

~Niki~ said...

I do mine just like you do yours, except I use fabric markers from Crayola ;). I've never thought of using Sharpies. Do they bleed after washing? You can see my most recent label on my blog. Just finished up a quilt and quilted/labeled

Donna said...

For everyone who worries that their handwriting isn't as cute as Rachel's ... #1) YOUR handwriting is in part what makes it YOUR work, but if you still want something else #2) use the freezer paper method, select a font you like from the computer, and print it out! If you select to print a whole "sheet" of labels, after making your "page" 8 1/2 by 11, you can mass produce all but the "to: " section. Just a thought! (You DO have the cutest handwriting, Miss Rachel!) I'm so afraid I'll misplace my "bee inspired" label before I'm ready to use it, so I put everything related to this bee in a binder for safe keeping!

Pat said...

I'm lucky enough to have an adorable doll quilt made by Rachel that has a very nice label in her gorgeous handwriting....and I can tell you the label is terrific!

Valerie the Pumpkin Patch Quilter said...

Hey, that's a good idea with the heat and bond! Why is it that sometimes simple ideas escape me! LOL*** I usually pin my labels and wriggle my stitches around it trying to keep it in place. DUH Valerie, heat and bond!!! Lol* Thanks for the tip! ;)

Stacey said...

cool, i need to make one, but not sure when yet!! thanks chicka!!

Erin @ Why Not Sew? Quilts said...

nice tutorial. i do not label all my quilts, it's something i need to really try harder to do. i do label the ones for my kiddos though. i love sharpies too. i have a bag full of all different colors i won at a picnic bingo game. i was thrilled!

Jacque. said...

at last! Thanks so much, Rachel! Easy Peasy!

Julie @ Jaybird Quilts said...

very nice!! i love how there are a million ways to do things and people are so diff with them... i'd do labels this way if my handwriting was as cute as yours... since it isn't i'm a mostly digital girl!

Unknown said...

I always enjoy learning new ways to do things, especially if it is for quilting. I really like your idea of the heat n bond to adhere it to the quilt. Great tutorial~

Lisa said...

Thank you so much for the tutorial! I can't wait to try it! I love the idea of the heat n bond because my pens always snag on the fabric...love your labels!

rachel griffith said...

niki & sarah...
the sharpies do NOT bleed at all.

i only use the fine point sharpies though.

{i can't vouch for those SUPER thick ones, which i'm hoping people wouldn't try to use on their labels anyways.}

hope this helps.

V and Co. said...

so going to do this...uh and question, how do you set up a flicker group? i want to do one for my tuts!

l said...

great tutorial!! thanks :)

Carol said...

Great tutorial...I'm terrible about labels...this would make it better and easier! Thanks!

Molly said...

Hi Rachel! I have several "label-less" quilts floating around here that I'm going to label up today! Thanks for another great idea! :)

Purple Quilter Queen said...

Good for you! I like your method. I've got alot of unlabeled quilts that could benefit from a short-sweet-to-the-point label like this one. Thanks for sharing. Jenn

John said...

here's a question:
do you sew it on to your backing fabric before basting, quilting, etc? and if so, do you just let your quilt lines go right over the label?
or, do you put the label on last, and stich through the top of the quilt?

Unknown said...

coooooool!!! Thanks!!!

rachel griffith said...

john...
i put my labels on after quilting and normally after i finish the binding.
{it's like the cherry on top for me.}
and i just stitch through the back layer of fabric only, making sure not to catch the top fabric.

hope this helps.

Thimbleanna said...

Very nice and clean Ms. Rachel!

domoshar said...

I am lucky enough to have a quilt with one of these cute labels in my home :)
They look simple and beautiful, warm and handmade. I like all of these bonuses :)

Candace said...

Thanks, Rachel - how easy is this!!!
Cheers!

dotti white said...

Rachel.....thank you for the fun tutorial. I don't always take the time to do labels so this will help me to be ready. Have an awesome day!

Kim Brackett said...

Thank you for sharing this, Rachel. Now I'll be happy to make labels instead of procrastinating. Very cool!

Busy Little Quilter said...

I sometimes do my labels that way, too. Your handwriting is adorable!

Amanda Jean said...

i like how you have them ready to go...such a great idea! if i did that i would probably label more quilts. :)

CJ said...

I just finished a quilt yesterday and yet I did not LABEL it. It appears that you added this label after the quilt was 'quilted' and bound. Are you sewing all the way thru by machine or are you hand sewing the edges?? I think I should label this gift quilt but....

Anonymous said...

The people who make Sharpie pens say not to use them for writing on fabric. There are lots of pens on the market made especially for writing on fabric, though, and you should try them out. I use a Micron Pigma Pen in size 05.

rachel griffith said...

anonymous...
although i appreciate your comment, the sharpie website says that they don't recommend sharpies on cloths because they may fade or bleed, not that they WILL.

i can honestly tell everyone reading this tutorial that i have never had an ultra fine point sharpie fade or bleed on my quilt labels.
if i discover otherwise i will absolutely inform my readers on this exact post.

thanks.

Jodi Nelson said...

I've saved several label tutorials. I've gathered a few supplies to make labels. I've thought about making labels. But there my quilts sit, labeless. You've inspired me yet again. Let's hope this time, I'll actually do it! ooxx`jod

Heather said...

This sounds like a super easy label maker idea. I've got to get me so stick and bond stuff now.

Unknown said...

I'm going to have to try it this way now. I hate folding under the 1/4" and trying to hide my stitches! Any reason for the "lite" heat-n-bond? I have the heavier one which I've only used once for a non-quilting project. Where do you get Bella fabric? (sorry - still learning a lot!)

Thanks, Kristine

JRZ Jenn said...

This is such a good idea. My least favorite part about quilting is putting on the label because I can never get it to look right. I'm really going to have to try this. Thanks for sharing.

Bird said...

sorry to be a pain, but the !?*%"3$€ is a sharpie?

Jennifer Mathis of Ellison Lane said...

I love heat and bond and just posted about using it to make appliqued t-shirts. It never occurred to me to use it to label my quilts. Great idea! Thanks again Rachel!
Jennifer (EllisonLane)

The Sunflower Patch said...

Thank you sew much for sharing this tute! Just what I was looking for :)

Annie Rose Quilts said...

I know this is a comment on an old post, but I'm new to blogging. I love your label method. Thanks for sharing. I also love how the binding is sewn in this photo.

The Lazy Sewist said...

I just made these - so cool and easy! Thanks for the free tutorial.

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