The final part of my quilt for Alfie, is of course the label. And just like the quilt I made for his big brother a couple of years ago, I've made 3 labels rather than just one! Anyway, I often get asked how I make my labels, so here are some details along with pictures. I start by sketching some ideas in pencil, then when I'm happy with my design, I trace over the pencil lines with a very fine black Sharpie pen. This is now my template that I can use over again. The template is usually cut to size, or the outer edge is bordered, again with a fine black Sharpie pen. To transfer the design onto the label fabric, the template is taped onto my lightpad, the fabric is then taped over the template. Using a very fine Micron Pigma pen, nib size 005 in a pale brown (Sepia) colour, the design can be traced onto the fabric. A piece of light weight interfacing is fused to the back, and using a wooden embroidery hoop, the words are hand embroidered...
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...if I don't have a single piece of fabric large enough for my label, I will piece together a few scraps - the trick is to not have too many seams, or it can be difficult to see the design through the seams when it's being traced. Once the labels have been embroidered and any embellishments aded, the edges are turned over, and the labels are hand appliqued to the back of the quilt...
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...to applique the label into place, small stitches are used, along with a fine thread, taking care not to stitch through to the front of the quilt. The "quilt care instructions" label is definately one of my favourites! I'd added a small appliqued bear to the centre of the "stitched by" label, scaling down one of the bears from the animal blocks in the original quilt. I was really pleased with the finished result - I always try to incorporate the theme of the quilt in the label, and these labels do that perfectly!
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