Tutorial: How to make a passable label for your quilt

Everyone makes labels in different ways... from getting them printed professionally, using services like Spoonflower.com, to just free-handing a signature and note directly on the back of the quilt. I have thought of using the first and have done the later but most of the time I take a moment to make a decent label that is different and unique for each quilt.

A while ago Thelma (Cupcakes 'n Daisies) and I got chatting over labels and how my labels looks so well done. When I shared my secret with her she suggested I write up a tutorial, so here I am many months later with a quick tutorial.

Here we go...

Things you need:
Computer w/ a word processing software
Printer
Tape
Micron Pens .05
Light box or a well illuminated Window


First step... Decide what to write. I sometimes scope out the quilt poems out in blogland and use something like that before jotting down the general info of the quilt, but most of the time I just put the name of the quilt, who it's for (if I'm giving it away), when I completed the top and when it was quilted. My name and where I lived when completed also goes on the label.

Now, I'm not so talented as to have some outstanding penmanship with gorgeous handwriting so I type this all up into a word document using some cute font. I keep this label document on my computer and just edit it when I type a new label. The file is formatted to fit a 3" square fabric but I play with it when I make a label that is a bit different.

I print out the page and take it over to my handy dandy light box...

 You like my light box?
Let's pause here to give you a better look at the quality of this light box. 

I even made a hole to pull out the cord of the desk lamp I put in the small cooler 

I got from my local 7 eleven.

Do I need some fancy glass top? Nope. I use my ruler as the surface.

Okay. so back to the label. I tape the print out onto the light box surface.

I then tape the piece of muslin onto the label.

Using as many colors as I want, I just trace with the Micron pens.

When I'm done tracing, I take the label to my ironing board and press it to heat set the ink.

Last step is to attach to your quilt. I prefer to put the label onto the quilt before it's quilted so that the quilting can secure it in place but sometimes I attach whenever I can get to it. This one got incorporated into the backing of the quilt...

BTW: If you don't have a fancy shmancy light box, like mine you can just tape the printout to your window and let nature serve as your light box.

Hope this helps someone out there.