I’ve probably made over 100 quilts, but I could’t give you a solid number. However, I can tell you, of all the quilts I’ve made only 3 have labels on them. I really should have labelled all my quilts! Once the quilt is out into the world there is nothing to identify me as the maker. That’s a lot of time and effort put out there without recognition. Could you imagine an author, publishing a book and not taking the time to put their name on it? Well, I guess there are those authors who work under fake names.
I wanted to come up with a plan for labels that was quick and easy but also looked like I did parts of it by hand. Enter the Hand Stitch selections on the Janome Continental M7. These stitches stitch out with the character you see in hand embroidery This is right up my alley because I am a completely unskilled hand embroiderer!
First up, you really want to use a stabilizer behind your fabric for your label. Any decorative stitching on a mid weight to light weight fabric benefits from having a stabilizer added. I used Madeira’s Super Strong stabilizer which is a cutaway stabilizer. You could also use a tear away or wash away stabilizer.
To make my label I first did a practice stitch out of my lettering so I knew my spacing needs. Practice makes perfect. Then I stitched out all my words using the built in fonts (there are 5!!!) on Janome’s M7 Continental. For the message I’m stitching using a 12wt thread so I chose to use all upper case because I found the lower case you lost some of the letter shapes.
Next up the decorating stitches! This part I took a little time planning out. On a scrap fabric I marked out my starting point and the orientation of my fabric. Then I cut them out and laid them around my label to try out where I would like them. This would allow me to line everything up and there would be no surprises. For these accents I used a 50wt thread.
Once I had everything stitched all I had to do was fold under the edges and hand stitch them on my quilt! Now to just finish the binding on the other side and get this to my Mum!
I hope your are inspired to make some labels for your quilts!
Stitch on!
AmandaBee
Thank you. I WILL TRY THE PLAYFUL FONT ON THE BABY QUILT I AM MAKING.
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Yay! There’s sew many cute fonts from which to choose! Be sure to share pics #janomecanada #sharethejanomelove Happy Sewing!
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Does the 15000 have those stitches?
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The MC15000 has many fonts from which to choose, but the Hand Stitch Style category made it’s debut on the Continental M7. The MC15000, and many other Janome machines, have those same stitches as Decorative stitches, Pictogram, Playful, etc. but not as the Hand Stitch Style version, which I describe as being “wonky” as they look more like they’re done by hand, and not so perfect.
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Put a label on your quilt is a great reminder.
I too have made lots of quilts that I did not label. Going forward I am signing them and put a date at the very least. Currently I am designing a very basic label that could go on anything that I can store in memory on my M7 so no excuses right LOL
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Storing a label in the memory of the machine is a great idea, so it’s always at the ready! No excuses, indeed! lol! Happy Sewing!
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You did a wonderful job. I’m curious how you got rid of stitch lines between each letter in your initial practice piece without compromising the stitches with the possibility of unravelling?
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The M7 does tiny locking stitches at the beginning and end of each letter, so it’s safe to trim the travelling stitches in between if you choose. Amanda did not use a seam sealant, like Fray Check, but you could add a drop or two on the back of each letter if you’d like for the extra insurance.
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You know honestly I forgot who told me this but I thought it was a great idea. You get one of those bottles that have that needle tip. And you put your free check in it and you might have to add a little water to make it a little more liquid and you can pinpoint and Chyna stab that needle tip into your quilt so it seals it sort of on the inside. It really works well I now use this wherever I need to tie off Quilting or stitches
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Great idea, thank you! It’s wonderful to share the love, and pass on great tips, which is what Janome Life is all about! Happy Sewing!
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