Just a 'thing' I have about quilts (labels).....
 

I know there are some VERY talented people on the board. I love embroidery and I see a lot of lovely, very lovely, machine embroidered labels that are added to quilts. I am NOT being critical of anyone who uses or makes embroidered labels but here's my take on a label........

When we make a quilt, gift a quilt, etc. we put our heart into our work and I take the time to actually 'sign', by hand, my quilt. I then hand embroider over my signature. So many of us machine piece, machine quilt our quilts that, to me, adding my hand signed signature just adds that 'final touch'.

I am into genealogy, family history research. I am THRILLED whenever I find an actual signature of one of my ancestors. I have collected their signatures from public records, scanned them, framed them and hung them in my home office with a note as to how I am related to that person.

I have a few heirloom quilts from my ancestors but unfortunately none of them have a label saying who made them. The quilts 'history' is an oral history handed down to me. I would LOVE to have had my ancestors actual signature on the quilts.

This is just my opinion and I am sure other's have their own opinion.

Good point. Something to think about.

The type of label doesn't interest me as long as the year and name of the maker is legible. I haven't found a permanent pen that will hold up to many washings. I have some quilt labels I have to resign after a few years. I know the ones that have been given away, the label is probably to faded to read. I have used all brands of permanent ink and they all fade. I would rather have an embroiderered name somewhere on the label.

I agree with BellaBoo - what matters to me is that someone down the line can see who made it, the date and any other information that we want passed along

Yes, I forgot to say add the date(s) to the label also.

If you are a visual learner, here's a video of how to do it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ_FREePYFI

The above example is using 4 threads of embroidery floss on a thick tablecloth fabric. For my quilts I use 2 threads on muslin which is much thinner than the example. I also use the second stitch used in the video and my signature is in script, not in block letters.

for those that have the software to digitize their own embroidery, they can digitize their signature as well :)

I cherish recipes and such written down by my mother & grandmother. What a good idea to sign a quilt. I'm sure I will do all kinds of labels, but I will certainly embroider my signature on some.

I'm probably alone on this, but I don't put any label on my quilts. If the person I give it to passes it along to someone else down the road, someone who doesn't know me, I don't want that person to see my name or the name of the person for whom it was made. The quilt becomes that person's quilt. I guess for me the quilt takes on a life of its own and makes its journey, and I don't feel any need to be part of that...

Just me!

To all who have responded to my original post: Thanks for commenting and adding your thoughts as they are all good for their own reasons - no quilt police here. :)

As I said in my original post:

I sign my name, with my machine, somewhere on all my quilts. I also have an embroidered label (made by sewnsewer2) that includes my name.