quilt tags
 

If I want to make my own quilt label and embroider a design or name on it do I need to use a special type of fabric and/or a stabiliser? I've never used my lettering function and I have been asked to make a label for the current quilt I am making and gifting. I don't want to buy a label...thought I might make my own and even have a go at doing the lettering etc with the Bernina. Any ideas for a complete novice at this?

You can use the same fabric as the quilt or you can use any good cotton fabric to make a label. You will need to use a stabilizer under the fabric if you plan to do the lettering in the hoop. You may want to use a tear away or a wash away stabilizer - choice is up to you. If you have a very light weight stabilizer, you can double it up under the fabric. If you are just using the lettering function built into the machine, you can do it on just fabric but a light stabilizer under it might give you a better result. You might want to check out YouTube for videos of how to do this. Hope you post a picture when finished so we can see your great work!

I try to used a piece of the same light color fabric I used in the quilt. Once for a wedding I made a border with a wedding print even tho I hadn't used it in the quilt. Sometimes I used a left over block and sometimes I just use a piece of muslin. I lightly mark lines on the fabric so the wording is straight. I always use tear away stabilizer because the lettering usually bunches up the fabric if I don't. I had an "M" mess up last time even with the stabilizer.

Thanks alleyoop1 and dd for your opinions and advice...I did a you tube search as you suggested. Tell me, do I have to use a hoop and if so, my Bernina doesn't have anything to attach to the hoop (it's not an embroidery model machine) so would it be okay just to have it "sitting" on the bed of the machine? As the machine does decorative stitches and different alphabets I'm presuming I don't need to have a hoop "attached". The only you tubes I could find with my machine featured only shows how to select the letters and fonts etc, not how to actually "do it"!

No, you will not use a hoop for the decorative stitches on your machine. Just do a test with stabilizer (washaway or tearaway underneath) to see how many layers it will take to keep your stitches smooth and not pucker the fabric.

Thanks everyone, will trot down to Spotlight and see what I can find with stabilisers. Thanks for all your help.

I would think you would need a stabilizer, especially if you're going to embroider letters.

Regarding stablizer: I've used a sheet of printer paper in a pinch, and it worked fine. I'm not sure I even used any adhesive to adhere it to the fabric.

Read the instruction book. Follow it's advise, once you get the basics down, play with different types and styles. I would try using paper while you are playing, it's cheaper!!

I use white cotton and a stablizer for that fabric. I stitch mine on my embroidery machine using a quilting text. I put whether it was handmade or not, my name, town in which it was made, who it was given to, and the year it was given. Sometimes I also put the occasion for which it was given. The recipients always comment on how nice the labels are.

I make my labels by using a piece of the quilt fabric folded in half, sew the sides right sides together with a thin batting, turn inside out, then use the alphabet built into my Janome to sew out what I want the label to say. I pin it in a corner of the back side before I do the binding, then hand stitch the other two sides to the backing. Hope this makes sense. :)

in a pinch, use a fabric stabilizer. I used to be a professional casket embroider.
I've used iron on stabilizer as well as sew in in a pinch. if it's woven fabric you can use cut away.
if it's light weight fabric, you're better using a cut away.

You might want to go to embroidery library, they have some nice patterns for labels.

You can also use your computer to print out your text. Adhere fabric to freezer paper with hot iron {no steam}, run through printer. Remove freezer paper and repress to set ink, cut to desired size. This in when I use decorative machine stitching with stabilizer. It is so much fun.

Quilting Text??
 

What is Quilting Text? What kind of machine do you use?

Here is the label I ended up making for my grandsons' quilt. I took your advice and bought some tear away iron on stabiliser to use with my fabric. It worked a treat and I loved having a "play" with this section of the Bernina as Ihaven't "ventured" there before! I was delighted to discover a section in my machine with little pictures and thought how sweet to put the little trucks across the top of the label. For my granddaughters I can replicate the labels and maybe put flowers or a butterfly for them. I know it's a pretty crude effort and not super-straight in more ways than one but I am thrilled with it and the next ones will be that little bit better. Thanks for all the advice.