Quilting and Patchwork

Do You Label Your Quilts?

by Mary Emma Allen on January 18th, 2008

QuiltingAndPatchwork.com 

“Do you label your quilts?” someone asked me and I realized that with all the quilts I’d made over the years, I never put a label on them.  

My grandmother didn’t put her name on the quilts she made for us grandchildren.  However, she inked our initials so we’d keep track of whose was whose.

I’d recommend labeling your quilts so the recipient will remember who was the quiltmaker.  It’s also helpful in years to come to know the origin of a quilt.  This also helps tell the story of the quilt.

To find out more about labeling your quilts, read Labeling Our Quilts at Quilted Paradise.  There you’ll find a very comprehensive discussion of why to label your quilt, various types of labels and how to make them. 

Quilt labels are considered a very important part of quiltmaking in the late 20th century and the early years of the 21st century. Women (and men) who make quilts are important and our work is important. Our quilts will last a long time sometimes a lot longer than we thought when we made the quilt.

Most of the older quilts weren’t labeled or marked with a name.  This is very frustrating when we come across them and would like to know more about the maker.  I know I’d be thrilled if I could discover, from some marking on the quilt, who made the one my parents received as a wedding gift in 1934. 

My daughter has to label quilts she enters into contests and competitions.  Generally the contest rules are very specific about what they want.

Do you label your quilts?  How? 

Let’s chat about it.

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

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