We've heard it over and over again, add labels to your completed quilts! And while I've always added personalized labels for gifted quilts, and have even quilted the grandchildren's names into their special quilts, I'll admit to being totally remiss when it came to the ones I've kept for us. Until now. Over the past two weeks, between other projects, labels have been added to 19 quilts! I think I'm all caught up now, except for one antique quilt fragment that I squared up and bound the cut edges on two sides several years ago, that now hangs on a wall in my sewing room.
An older photo taken in our previous home
It all started when I was itching to get this old girl out to play for a bit. She's a 1951 Singer Centennial Model 201 that we found twenty years ago in the attic of a big old barn-turned-thrift store in upstate New York. I was shopping for an inexpensive bedside table and my husband spotted the Queen Anne cabinet and discovered the sewing machine inside. The machine was a bonus, and a mighty fine one at that, as it worked perfectly right from the start.
At any rate, I was feeling the need to do some machine stitching but didn't want to start another big project, and labeling the many quilts around here has long been on my 'to-do' list. I wanted to document some special quilts that we had picked up along the way, especially those for which we had provenance information, some that were totally made by others, others are vintage tops that I've quilted and finished, in addition to my own quilts. Quilts like this hand-quilted Mennonite broken-star pattern beauty from the Shipshewana, Indiana area that we picked up at a church school auction several years ago.
I don't have a date for this one, but it's fairly recent, the fabrics look like 1980s or early 1990s to me, and sadly one of those deep pinks still bleeds every time it's washed.
My labels tend to be very simple, printed on a commercial printer-friendly fabric, and bordered with pieces of leftover binding. In this case I included information about the origin of the quilt, and where, when and who last purchased it.
My own quilts just get a name, location and year completed, unless I've given the quilt a name. A simple job, so easily done. I'm so happy to have this nagging project completed, and wonder why it's taken so long to accomplish! It's a pretty sure bet I'll add labels as soon as anything is completed from this point forward. I hope ...
8 comments:
I am so proud of you for labeling 19 quilts!!!! Future generations will know you and be glad you took the time. The Singer is a beauty and in a table no less. Great post.
That is a task that I need to do! That's great that you got so many finished.
I do envy your 201. Wow it's a Centennial too ! Have not yet been able to find one for my collection.
It's good that you have labeled your quilts. I have kept up labeling mine, and have no regrets. In fact, I too recently wrote a blog post about using Printed Treasures to make labels. In my opinion, a quilt isn't truly finished until some identifying information is added... not only for me and my family, but generations into the future. Happy for you to have that neat Singer. I'm pretty sure that's the same machine I learned to sew on. If it has a knee bar to make the machine go, then it's the same. A very reliable machine!
Way to go!! That has got to feel really good to have that completed and be out from under that weight hanging over you.
That is a lovely machine!
That's wonderful, I'm ashamed to say I have never labeled a quilt and I do think it's important, especially the quilts that stay in the family.
That machine is a beauty!
I rarely label quilts but recently I did add paper tags to my g-grandmothers' and aunts' quilts that i have inherited. I m hoping my kids will take note of them and not toss them along with everything else when I pass on, lol. Sadly quilts are often not valued now by next generations.
I am terrible about labeling my quilts....I need to remember to do so, thanks for the reminder. Love your quilts
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