Lucky for me, an observant viewer made a comment about my charmingly misplaced block in the last row of Irish Lass.
Uh oh. Misplaced block? (See if you can spot it)
Oops! I'll admit it did add charm, but I did NOT do that on purpose. I'm so glad it was spotted before all the borders went on.
And I thought I'd been paying attention!
All the borders are on, and the backing is prepared. Time to load her up! Yahoo!!!
My family quilts have been documented as part of the Alberta Quilt Project, and the final step is to attach these labels sent by the Royal Alberta Museum. I'll enjoy officially completing the process.
(See my family quilts)
This brings up a dirty little secret....I rarely label my quilts.
Shocking, I know.
I understand the value of labeling and documentation, BUT extra work at the end of a project isn't very appealing.
The only quilts I've properly labelled have been those I've sold or displayed in galleries. Labels on quilts destined for family and friends didn't seem as important. After all, the recipients know me!
Wrong-o
The sleuthing involved in documenting the quilts made by my ancestors has definitely changed my mind!
From now on I intend to label EVERY quilt that leaves my hands.
Do you attach labels before you quilt? What about quilts that will be done on a long arm frame? How do you position and secure the label prior to quilting?
Your thoughts would be appreciated!
Stitch by Stitch, for Anything Goes Mondays
i have to say, for Show and Tell Tuesday
Freshly Pieced, for WIP Wednesday
My Quilt Infatuation, for Needle and Thread Thursday
Try, Learn, Grow!
Carole
Comments are valuable! Please share your words of wisdom, and thanks for looking around!
Uh oh. Misplaced block? (See if you can spot it)
Oops! I'll admit it did add charm, but I did NOT do that on purpose. I'm so glad it was spotted before all the borders went on.
 |
| Fixing my boo boo! |
 |
| That's better. |
 |
| Adding the second skinny border. |
Look What Came in the Mail!
My family quilts have been documented as part of the Alberta Quilt Project, and the final step is to attach these labels sent by the Royal Alberta Museum. I'll enjoy officially completing the process.
(See my family quilts)
 |
| Alberta Quilt Project labels |
This brings up a dirty little secret....I rarely label my quilts.
Shocking, I know.
I understand the value of labeling and documentation, BUT extra work at the end of a project isn't very appealing.
The only quilts I've properly labelled have been those I've sold or displayed in galleries. Labels on quilts destined for family and friends didn't seem as important. After all, the recipients know me!
Wrong-o
The sleuthing involved in documenting the quilts made by my ancestors has definitely changed my mind!
From now on I intend to label EVERY quilt that leaves my hands.
I need to develop good habits, such as:
- creating a label early in a project instead of waiting until the end.
- using a consistent format to make generating labels faster. I wouldn't have to re-think what should be included each time.
- printing a stack of labels, leaving blanks where details could be added using a permanent pen. The information that is repeated on every label wouldn't have to be written out each time, speeding up the process.
Do you attach labels before you quilt? What about quilts that will be done on a long arm frame? How do you position and secure the label prior to quilting?
Your thoughts would be appreciated!
Linking up with:
Sew Fresh Quilts, for Let's Bee SocialStitch by Stitch, for Anything Goes Mondays
i have to say, for Show and Tell Tuesday
Freshly Pieced, for WIP Wednesday
My Quilt Infatuation, for Needle and Thread Thursday
Try, Learn, Grow!
Carole
Comments are valuable! Please share your words of wisdom, and thanks for looking around!
I have only made a couple of quilts and intend to label them but alas, like you when I come to the end of the process, I just want to finish it quickly, I will learn to slow down and think if I make the label half way through, it will be easy to pop it on at the end, worth a try!!
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Making the label near the beginning when there's lots of energy and excitement might be the answer. Let's try and set ourselves up for success!
DeleteThanks for popping over!
I'm glad you spotted the mistake in time, and were able to rectify it. I wonder if anyone would have said anything if the borders had been on. I think once the quilting has been done it's best to keep quiet if you spot a mistake.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad, too!!! The comment was made in the nicest way - it was actually a compliment - and it sure saved me the grief of discovering my error in the midst of quilting! That would have been problematic! Not the end of the world, but my quilting plan would have had to adapt, and I would NOT have been a happy camper.
DeleteYou are so right about not pointing out mistakes that can't be fixed, but this could easily have been a design decision on my part. I'm happy to have had the feed back! (However, I would have been scowling if I'd felt the comment was mean-spirited - no one likes the quilt police!)
Your finished charm quilt is very pretty! Love the colour palette! Looking forward to seeing how you are going to quilt her. I used to label all my quilts. But I just quit. I ordered a yard of preprinted labels from spoonflower.com back when I started quilting.
ReplyDeleteEeek! Lorna, maybe you should order more labels, QUICK!
Delete(Hmm. Ordering labels is a good idea...)
I will be quilting this girl a la Green Fairy Quilts. The whole reason I made the quilt is to practice quilting using some of Judy Madsen's amazing designs. I'm a bit terrified, but the more I think about the steps, the more confident I become...I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!
I try to label all my quilts, especially those that will be gifted. One easy way is the triangle in the corner method, inserted after quilting but before binding. Only one edge to stitch down. Another possibility is to use EQ Printables from Electric Quilt. Each sheet can accommodate two labels so I only print them when I need two. The fabric is very difficult to hand-stitch down, so again, I insert them in a corner before binding the quilt.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I think I would like the look of a corner tag. You are right about the EQ Printables being tough to stitch through. When I've used them, I've framed them with cotton. The cotton is much softer to hand stitch. Thanks for your suggestion!
DeleteYour Irish Chain turned out beautifully and I can't wait to see your quilting - I have seen what Judy does with the Irish chain - you can do it!! :)
ReplyDeleteI put my label on the binding - I put a short phrase 'Carol's Quilt' and then depending on who is getting it - 'hand made by' and the year. Or if it is going to go to family 'stitched with love by' and the year. I admit, sometimes I forget - I have to say family members who have received the quilts on which I forgot to label have volunteered to send them back so I can put the label on the binding!!
Thanks! I shall do the best I can, and try to have fun with it.
DeleteI like the phrases you use. I'm not sure I understand how your label goes on the binding, but I've seen tags sewn in that look like clothing labels...is that what you do? Nice that your family wants your labels!
That was on observant viewer. The quilt is coming along beautifully. It will be a stunner. I can't wait to see how you quilt it. Yes....yes...you're right...I will promise to label my quilts, from now on.
ReplyDeleteBoy, I'll say! I probably wouldn't have noticed until the quilt was on the frame and it was too late. Then I would have been annoyed with myself!
DeleteThis one will be quilted quite densely. I'm excited to get started!
Good, good...we can turn over a new leaf together. It is amazing how information gets lost over time unless it is recorded. :)
I took a class from Judi last month and this quilt would be perfect for this type of quilting! Once you get started, you'll love it! Her book is wonderful, her demeanor is passionate and her quilting is extraordinary. Very talented lady.
ReplyDeleteThat's great! I'm looking forward to her class even more now. This is practice so (maybe) I'll have intelligent questions to ask when the time comes. Thanks again for catching my upside down block! I would have been very annoyed with myself if I'd found it during quilting, that's for sure.
DeleteCan't wait to see your quilt top all finished up! YES- I name and label every single quilt- no matter what. I don't like to make a big fuss over it, or else I won't do it. My trick is that I don't wait until the very end. I attach the label after basting, but before quilting so that I can machine stitch it to the back and quilt through it. Here is a link to a tutorial on the super easy way that I make my labels. If you look back at my finished quilt posts, I always include a shot of the label for each quilt.
ReplyDeletehttp://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.com/2013/07/quilt-labels-quick-and-easy-and-cute-way.html
Thanks for linking to Needle and Thread Thursday!
:) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation
Simple and early - gotcha! Thanks for the tutorial link. Your labels are quite charming. I'm going to figure out a way to attach a label before loading on my long arm frame. The tricky part will be positioning the label, but I'll get there! Thanks for the linky party, Kelly!
DeleteI have always labelled my quilts. I bought fabric that is printed frames for quilt labels and I print the information in my own hand with indelible ink. I then try to piece them right into the quilt back when I'm making it. I like pieced backs rather than one piece, so it's just part of making the back. Sometimes those labels don't work asthetically and I'll just write on a block. On a quilt that had a lot of negative space I freemotion quilted the information into the quilt all along the right hand edge. It was kind of cool.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of good ideas out there. Use several of them and see what you like.