Creating Your Own Personalized Sewing Label

An attractive sewing label can be made in just a few minutes. Make and personalize a label to go with every handmade item you create.

A personalized sewing label adds a special touch to any hand sewn garment or hand crafted item (i.e. quilt, blanket, stuffed animal, pillow). You can make a label in any size or color and can personalize it with your name, a gift recipient's name, or with any wording or design you choose. You can use embroidery to embellish your sewing label or simply draw the design directly onto the fabric. Use the instructions that follow to guide you through the creation of your own unique label, from choosing your materials to attaching it to your handmade item.

Choosing Materials

First, you'll need to find a suitable fabric for your label. Synthetic satin ribbon that comes packaged on a cardboard spool is the best choice. This type of ribbon is inexpensive, can be cut to any length, is found in a wide range of colors and widths at just about any fabric or craft store, and will not shrink in the wash.

Select a ribbon color that matches or coordinates with the fabric of your handmade item. If the label will be sewn to the interior of a garment, then make sure that your chosen ribbon will not detract from the look of the piece when viewed from the exterior. For example, you wouldn't want to place a dark colored ribbon inside a garment made from a white, transparent fabric. In this instance, you would choose a white ribbon in order to achieve the best effect. If you are attaching the label to the exterior edge of, for example, a quilt or pillow, then look for ribbon that simply complements the item's main colors.

Once you have chosen your ribbon, you'll have to decide whether you will embroider the label or draw the design with a fabric pen or marker. If embroidery is your choice, then you will need embroidery floss, an embroidery needle, and a small embroidery hoop. If you choose to draw your design directly onto the label, use a pen or marker with a narrow tip. No matter what type of label you choose to make, you will also need scissors, sewing thread, a hand-sewingneedle, a ruler, a pencil, and an iron.

Making A Label

If you have chosen to embroider your design, you will have to cut a piece of ribbon that is long enough to fit in your embroidery hoop. Measure the diameter of your embroidery hoop and then cut a piece of ribbon to a length that equals the diameter of the embroidery hoop, plus 4 X the hoop's width. Remember that this is the least amount of ribbon you will need. If you are making multiple labels, make your ribbon as long as necessary. Before you insert the ribbon into the hoop, use your pencil to mark out space for two or three tags. The length marked length of each tag should be determined as follows: multiply the desired ending tag length by two and then add 1/4" to the total. Then use your pencil to divide each marked space in half. You will be embroidering your name or design onto the right half of each marked label. After you have embroidered and cut the label, then the left half will be turned under to create a backing.

Draw or trace your desired design onto the right half of each label (if making more than one) and insert the length of ribbon into the embroidery hoop. Cut a length of embroidery floss (about 6"), thread the embroidery needle, knot the floss end, and embroider your design. If you have never embroidered before, use a backstitch to outline your design. The backstitch is a very simple embroidery stitch that is begun on the right side or bottom of the design. Start at the right end of the line to be embroidered. Bring the needle up from the back of the fabric, approximately one stitch length from the end of the design's line. Bring the needle down at the end of the design then back up again two stitch lengths from where you brought the needle down. Insert the needle into the hole made when you first brought the needle up to complete the stitching sequence. Repeat this sequence until the design is completely covered. End each strand of floss with a very small, secure knot tied as close as possible to the back of the fabric.