So often I get a quilt off to my longarmer, and I feel a sense of accomplishment. Then when I pick it up (and am in awe at her creativity!), I forget that the quilt is *not quite* finished yet. There's still binding to make, binding to sew on, hand sew the binding, etc. Then the quilt is finally done!! Until I remember that once again, I forgot to label the quilt. Ugh.

 I made these customizable and editable quilt labels in an attempt to remind myself to label and document my quilts. Yes, it's another step. But these templates are FREE to you so that's one step you don't have to worry about!  Click HERE for your copy.

 Continue to read to find out the steps I take to print and attach these quilt labels.

Quilt Label Tutorial

Materials

FREE Editable Quilt Labels

white quilting cotton fabric

freezer paper

ruler

pen

scissors

printer

inkjet printer

iron/ironing board

needle and thread

bowl with white vinegar OR a dye fixative

 Step 1: Preparing the Fabric

• Take your white fabric and cut a piece slightly larger than a 8 1/2"x 11" piece of paper. Also cut  a piece of freezer paper slightly larger than the piece of fabric.
• Use a hot iron to attach the shiny side of the freezer paper to the fabric. Iron a few seconds until it adheres. Make sure all of the sides and corners are attached well so that it doesn't jam the printer.
• Using a ruler and pen, draw lines to measure 8 1/2"x11." Cut to size. 

Step 2: Printing

• Use a piece of plain paper first to make sure you know which way to insert your freezer paper/fabric. I draw an arrow on one side and note that I'm placing it facing up. 
• Using the free editable quilt labels, customize the wording you want on your labels. Download to your computer, open the document, and select your printer.

• Print a test page of your labels onto the regular paper with the arrow to know how to insert the freezer paper/fabric.
• My printer actually prints on the backside of the paper, so I need to make sure I insert the freezer/fabric paper with the fabric side down. This may be different for you depending on your printer. Go ahead and insert your fabric paper at this time.
• Print your labels. 

• *As a word of caution, my freezer/paper got jammed once in my printer because the corner of my fabric wasn't secured well to the freezer paper. I was able to easily pull it out of my printer, but please take caution and be aware that this can happen.

Step 3: Prepare Label for Quilt

• Cut out your label using sharp scissors. Peel back the freezer paper carefully.
• Place a dry washcloth on top of the label and press with an iron to help set the ink.
• If using dye fixative, follow the manufacturer's directions. I used white vinegar to help set the dye.
• Put the label in a bowl and cover with white vinegar. Let it soak for 10 minutes.

• Take out the label and use a paper towel to press out some extra liquid. Let the label dry. When only damp, I use a washcloth again and a hot iron to set the edges flat.
• Press under 1/4" of the top edge of the label.

Step 4: Attach Label to the Quilt

• Line up the label in one of the corners on the back of the quilt. Make sure the orientation of the quilt is correct. You'd hate to attach the label and then find out the front is upside-down!
• I make sure the label will be within a 1/4" of the edges of the quilt so that the binding will attach the sides of the label to the quilt.
• For the top edge, hand sew the folded edge using a blind stitch.

• Now, attach your binding around the quilt. Make sure the binding stitches attach the sides of the label to the quilt.

Your label will look professional and will have all of the necessary details added to the label! And the best part is that the label is free! You can get your copy of the quilt label templates HERE. 

A side note: I didn't realize my logo on the computer was actually a charcoal color and not a true black. When I soaked the label in vinegar, the ink for only the logo part turned teal green. It was like a magic trick!

While it looked pretty and was on brand for me, I wanted the label to be all black. I adjusted the font color on Canva to all black but the leaves in my logo were unable to be changed. This time when it soaked in vinegar, the leaves were still teal but my wording was all black.  

I hope you enjoy making your own customizable quilt labels. What a perfect way to document your heirloom quilt for future generations.