“Mod Lodge Cabin Bag” is a Free Quilted or Sewn Purse Pattern designed by Caroline from Sew She Can!
“Tiny Bag” is a Free Quilted or Sewn Purse Pattern designed by Caroline from Sew She Can!
“Triple Zipper Bag” is a Free Quilted or Sewn Purse Pattern designed by Caroline from Sew She Can!
“Tiny Bag Designer Style” is a Free Quilted or Sewn Purse Pattern designed by Caroline from Sew She!
“Clutch Bag” is a Free Quilted or Sewn Purse Pattern designed by Caroline from Sew She Can!
Why didn’t I think of documenting who and where my quilts went 30+ years ago when I started quilting? My answer is that I didn’t think of it back in the days of my early quilts.
After a few years, I did start to take photos of the quilts and afghans I made. Unfortunately, I didn’t get name the photos so I could remember just who the gift went to. So I have a stack of photos as a reminder, but I am not sure I could tell anyone who the items were given to.
After I was diagnosed with MS and we realized the extent of the loss of my short- and long-term memory problems, I started asking the recipients of my quilts to take a digital photo and send it to me, so I could refer back to it and know who my quilts went to. Unfortunately, my request hasn’t always been honored.
There’s also a reason to document your quilts if you ever need to show your work to someone who is interested in purchasing or commissioning a quilt from you. The stack of photos I have has been passed along to others many times and many quilts have been made based on quilts I had made in the past via those photos.
But, here are a few suggestions for documenting quilts (or any type of handmade gift) that you make and give or gift away:
There are many options for you to choose from to help you keep a record of your quilts. What’s your favorite way?
I asked a quilty friend, Mary Mann, if she would make some embroidered quilt labels for me. The three quilts I needed them for were pretty special quilts and I wanted labels that would last a long time. When I received the labels from her, she surprised and delighted me with a little razzmatazz on one of the labels that goes on a quilt gift to a breast cancer survivor!
Thanks Mary!
While I have used lovely embroidered quilt labels from two of my quilty friends, sometimes I just feel like a label should be hand-written. In this instance, I created two baby quilt labels, both hand-written. And let me tell you, this is NOT an easy thing for me to do. Ever since I had the third lesion and was diagnosed with MS, my handwriting is awful. The lesion was in a place in my brain that controls everything on my right side and it has not totally fixed itself yet. But, I do the best I can and pray that the recipients understand!
How do YOU label your quilts!
I am fastidious about putting labels on my quilts. Partly because most of my quilts are original designs, and I want folks to know the name I gave them. I also know that a written record of the offering of a precious quilt is a great memory for the recipient.
Some of my past labels have been designed by myself or a friend and are found at QuiltTags.com. I have been known, while in a rush to get a quilt out to the post office, to just use a fabric marker on the back of a quilt. More recently, I have found a couple of friends with embroidery machines and they make my labels for me – especially those that the recipients are so very special to me.
Quilt experts say it’s essential to label a quilt. Here are a couple of articles that deal with such:
Unfortunately, a quilt label doesn’t always tell the whole story behind a quilt. For instance, I made and gave my sista/cousin’s first daughter a quilt based around a heart. For her subsequent two more children, both quilts retained the heart theme. And now, she has a fourth child – and I have designed a heart-based quilt for her, too (just waiting on color choices). My choice of hearts was purely sentimental – her family had taken me in when I was a 15-year-old foster child with no home and the love I have for them is because of their selfless act.
Another instance of making a quilt and having a story behind it was this quilt, made for a friend’s son:
This young man not only graduated from high school, he also received his Eagle Boy Scout award. Hence, the raw edge appliqued words and date are made from official Boy Scouts of America fabric. HE knows the story of the quilt because I shared it with him and his family, but those types of things aren’t written on a tag – they’re great memories to share, but not written down anywhere for future reference or future generations.
I try very hard to explain a quilt in my correspondence with people I gift the quilt to….because behind every one of those loving stitches is a story – a reason for the pattern and fabrics chosen. Hopefully, the thought and subsequent design is remembered and passed down to others, even without them being written on the quilt label. The point is, each and every quilt I make is designed and pieced for a reason, for the intended recipient. Make your quilt legacy count – both with a quilt tag/label and with written documentation of why or how the quilt came about. The new quilt owner will be thankful and future generations will enjoy the lore of the love of a quilt.
