Proudly Label Your Work

This is my latest and newest design. The Sunflower Candle Mat. I'm just finishing it up and only have to blanket stitch the backing on. I hope to EBAY it tonight. My "Guarding the Pumpkin Patch" Penny Rug sale ends tonight so I always try to have at least one thing Ebay listed at all times.

I often get email questions. I like getting questions because most times, they are questions about things that I do without thinking about, just because I've been doing this for so long. Those questions often give me something to blog about. The latest question was about labels on my work.

My very first quilt teacher used to nag and nag all of her students about labeling their work. I think just about every class I went to ... and I did a lot of classes ... she would say something about how important it was to put your name on your work. It did sink in.

Basically, anything you make, unless you know you're going to throw it out, should have your name and date that it was created, somewhere on the item. You've spent a lot of time creating your work, it's art and to acknowledge that what you do is art, you label it with your name, as the artist and the date that it was created.

No excuses. Label your work.

It can be something as simple as embroidering your initials and year, or it can be elaborate with fancy drawn designs. However you wish to show yourself as the artist is completely up to you.

This picture is blurry, but it shows how I do my own labels. It's just tea-stained muslin which is signed and dated. Before I make the label, I iron interfacing onto the muslin. The interfacing gives it a little more stability so that it won't bunch up when sewing the label on and also it helps to keep the fabric pen ink from bleeding through. I've tried using an extra fine Sharpie marker for signing, but it bleeds through a LOT, so I've found a permanant fabric pen that works nicely and I use it only for my signed and dated labels.

This one shows the coneflower that I always draw on the label too. Depending on the season, I switch that drawing up ... maybe a pumpkin in the fall or a Christmas tree for the holidays. Most times though, I draw a coneflower. (I love coneflowers). I color in whatever picture I draw with colored pencils.

Just another reason why it's so nice to sign and date your work .... I can look at things that have been around for a while, look at the date and remind myself of how OLD I AM and how long I've been sewing!
I guess I've been doing the coneflowers on labels since at least Jan, of 2005 because this little penny rug that I have hanging in my dining room tells me so!

This label is on my favorite rooster penny rug wallhanging that I have in my dining room. Wow, I made that way back in 2001!

So, you can see, labels can give useful information that can be used later ... lots of years later ... to help yourself and others, remember YOU!

Label your work. No excuses.

Happy Day everyone!