Those Who Name Your Quilts
 

Do you try to think of names before you start? Up until now, I have not. However, lately I seem to be running out of ideas, so when I hear something that might be a good name, I write it down. I know some quilts "tell" us what they want for a name.

How about you?

I do not name all of my quilts just the ones that speak to me.

The quilt name comes to me in the most unusual moment. Labels too. I like to relate to the person that is receiving the quilt. Ladybug's Journey, my first quilt on the embroidery machine. Then four years later, Ladybug's Garden, the same design with different colors.

The label for my son's quilt popped in my head as I was driving home from the quilt shop. I pulled over to write it down. It was all about his fishing days. One quilt for a special first time Grandma included a full page letter about her stepping into the new role.

There is one quilt that is named and not finished. It is about butterflies and my mom. The label will include "and she gave me wings to fly" in tribute. Another quilt label includes mention of a special walk with a friend in his garden.

It is fun to play with ideas and give our quilts that special touch!

I generally have a working name for each project but rarely a fancy name, like right now I'm doing the "purple quilt" project. That's about the extent of my usual creativity as I look at the Dog quilt, the Halloween quilt, and the Valentine's quilt...

I'm finishing up one that is made of the traditional Flying Square block, I'm calling it "Not Quite Y2K" because I'm finally using my 1k or so of 2.5" Y2K squares along with some duplicates so it isn't Y2K in either fabrics or year. My fanciest quilt name was probably "Winter Dreams of Summer Skies" which was a broken dish design using black and about 20 shades of blue, and yes, pieced during the winter.

I've never named a quilt, and I've made a couple of hundreds of them. I haven't put labels on any either. Mine have all been just to keep people warm and were kind of pretty, colorful, and sturdily made. No winners, or even contestants in shows. But, I think it's great that y'all do. :)

I don't name most quilts, but those I do generally get named as I'm making them--like the "We don't need no stinking points!" quilt , or my "Every quilt I've ever made" (string quilt from all my brights).

This made me chuckle. Like you, the names come to me as I’m making the quilt. Some don’t speak to me so they don’t get names. I have a quilt that I made many years ago named Pointless. It pretty much was.

I name all my quilts. Many of my quilts are made for specific people or occasions. The titles are something about those. I did a mystery quilt in a class that had many, many flying geese. I named that one "Screw the Goose". My dad and brother raced midget race cars. I used racing photos printed on fabric to make him a quilt and named it "Continuing the Dynasty". I have to have a title to put on the label I always attach to the back of the quilt.

My 'memorable' quilts are usually named after the quilt is done, and the name is usually "The quilt from Hell!"

My niece did name one quilt that we both love, "The watermelon quilt" because one of the fabrics looks like fresh cut watermelon.

One quilt that I made is called, "My Mothers' Scraps" because it is made from her WOF scraps. It's small, but lovely to me.

I name them when they are my unique design, and they have a theme that conjures up the name.Only when done.

I name them only to keep them straight in my head and on a spreadsheet. Some are named from where I got them, some are named from the fabric line or designer or pattern or color, but every now and then one just gets a real name. I'm playing around with new techniques and a new quilt was christened last night "Whimsy."

I pretty much name all my quilts and I will even nickname quilts I have longarmed for others just so I have a way of referencing it, like "Creme Brulee". Sometimes the quilts owner keeps the nickname I have given it.

Usually the name comes to me at some point during the making of the quilt. I don't think I have ever come up with a name before the quilt was even started unless I had a good solid game plan going in.

Not all my names are unique. Sometimes I just name the quilt what the pattern is, like "Lonestar" or "Squares on point" or use whatever name the pattern designer assigned to it or a variation of it. When I made the Judy Niemeyer pattern Agave Garden I named it "An Agave Garden for Gus and Maria's Family". Agave Garden is the pattern name and it was commissioned to be gifted to Gus and Maria. I did make the label in Spanish because the recipients are from Mexico. My brother reported back that they really liked that touch.

Sometimes the name is quite literal like "Batik Block Swap" or "triangle quilt" but usually I try to come up with something a little more creative. Naming the quilt is almost always influenced by the fabrics, pattern or quilting motif or a combination of all of them. Like "East meets Midwest" pictured here along with an explanation as to why I named it that. https://www.quiltingboard.com/pictur...t-t290958.html
Or this one for the quilting motifs I used in addition to the clamshell block setting:
https://www.quiltingboard.com/pictur...g-t275921.html

I have also used names twice if I make the same pattern (the second one would be II) Like this quilt, I am currently working on a second one and I am naming it Karyukai II. https://www.quiltingboard.com/pictur...c-t207883.html

Like you Boston, I make an effort to label every quilt I make, even if it is utilitarian. At the very least I put the quilt's name, made by my name along with my town and the year of completion. It personalizes the quilt if it is a gift and quite honestly all the quilts I make, even if it is a super simple pattern or design is an expression of my "art" and artists should always sign their work. But even some artists don't title all their paintings, even famous ones. There are loads of paintings out there that are "untitled". And even though the maker may not consider it "heirloom" or anything fancy that is worth labeling, think how many antique utilitarian quilts are out there that are highly prized and coveted, if for no other reason than the quilt survived for as long as it did and darn few of them are labeled with even just maker name and date. Think about how excited we get when we stumble upon an antique quilt that is actually signed and dated via a label of some sort.

I love to name things, and quilts are no exception. Generally, the name comes to me while I’m making the top. Once in a while a clever phrase, meaningful scripture, or particular motif drops into my mind and inspires me to make a quilt accordingly.

I only named one - it was my last one. I called it "bleary eyed, hunch back".

I frequently call my quilts names, especially when they are not cooperating, but we are not supposed to use those types of names in polite company.

Same here.

I think naming quilts depends on the number that you make during a year. Since I only produce a few each year, I enjoy giving each quilt a name.

I don't name my quilts & don't name my sewing machines/cars, etc.

I only name ones that speak to me too. Otherwise I just use the pattern name as their name.

I have a working name for every quilt, and that's often the pattern name or the name of the fabric or color that identifies the quilt in my mind. When I've done quilts that have a main color, I've used the color name, as in, 'The Aubergine Quilt.' I usually don't start thinking of a formal name until I see the finished top.

I don't name my quilts and I don't put labels on them.

I usually just use a reference name for a quilt or the name of the pattern, if I use one. However, I just finished a quilt in which I gave a title for the first time. The blocks are all from different designers but I designed the layout....and hand embroidered the name on the quilt top. There's a first for everything. Gift quilts, QOV's, and the special quilts I keep are the only ones that I design labels for.

I never name any of my quilts.

Mmunchkins, your post literally made me LOL. My husband likes to tease me that the only time I sound like a sailor and stomp my feet is when I'm in the studio. Otherwise my quilts don't have names, only DNA.....:D

I like to name my quilts with something that comes to mind from the color or design of the quilt. I love making pretty labels for them. I only make a few quilts so they are all special to me.

I name every quilt. I usually come up with a name after. Example, I made a double accent French braid quilt (four columns of braids). I wanted a name that was French. The quilt had bright tropical colors and prints, so I wanted the name to reflect that too. I looked up tropical French Islands and saw Monteserratt, which means serrated mountains, which the quilt pattern resembled. So it was named Monteserratt, French, tropical, with a serrated mountain look. It was perfect.

so, wait, give it some thought, and the perfect name will come to you.

I can only think of one quilt I ever named. I started it the day Prince William and Kate got married so I named it the William and Kate quilt. My family laughed about it :D
Usually I just call it by the pattern. I haven't thought that much about it now that I think of it!

I have started a small collection of possible names for future quilts. I do not know if I will really use them, but I like the idea of having some ready.

Never named any of mine...I guess I should but....

I don't really name mine, I just write the pattern name on the label.