Tip #8

It is always nice to add a label when you make a quilt.

The label can have any information you like on it.

I usually write the date I finished the quilt. Other options are:

Made by
Made for
City, Country it was made in
Reason it was made
A special message for the recipient
If you name your quilts, you may want to include its title.

You can embroider the information on by hand or my machine.

You can write it out using a fabric marker that will not wash away in the laundry. Available at art supply stores. They come in different point thicknesses.

When writing on fabric, it is a good idea to lay the fabric on a piece of sand paper so it doesn't move and stretch as you write.

More great tips to come.

Tip #7

#7

Consider a label on the back of your quilt.

The label can be an extra block that was sewn into and integrated into the back.

The label can be an appliquéd piece that is attached using the blind stitch after the entire quilt is quilted.

This label is a star block.
It was appliquéd onto the back fabric after the quilt was quilted.
The background fabric of the star block is the same as the back fabric
 making it melt into the back fabric and accentuating its 8 dark blue points.

It can be appliquéd onto the back before quilting, making the quilt stitches go through the label and holding into place forever.

I have also seen labels on the front of quilts! As a diagonal corner piece of fabric in one corner of the quilt.

Remember, it's your quilt. You can do it how you want.

Tip #6

#6

Make sure the binding is "full" when you roll it from the front to the back. You shouldn't feel any space in there. The quilt and batting should fill up the entire space as you roll the binding strip to the back. 

Hope that makes sense. I was on a jury for a quilt show and that was a criteria!

Tip #5

#5

To hide the blind stitches when attaching the binding strip to the back of the quilt, use a thread colour that is the same colour as the binding strip and not the backing fabric.

This rule also applies to appliqué. The thread should be the colour of the piece being appliquéd not the background colour.

Hope these tips are helpful.

Tip #4

#4

If you plan to use up scraps to arrive at the length of your binding strip, you should use pieces that are the same value. Mixing light bits and dark bits can be very distracting when viewing the quilt. It's like a frame for art work. You want your viewers to be looking at the work not the frame.

I used 9 fabrics for this quilt binding.
You can see 5 of them here.