Create Your Own Personalized Labels Made From Things in Your Pantry!

This tutorial is not only for quilt labels but for printing on fabric for any project from your home printer.

I have embroidered labels that I purchased for my business, but wanted labels made for personal use and for special projects. We make regularly make labels to go on the back of finished quilts. This is the method that I use for those labels as well. It's easy to do.

Freezer Paper

We all have a box of freezer paper in our pantry. Actually, the OLDER the freezer paper is, the better it works! The older versions of freezer paper had more of a waxy film on the one side and actually works better. New freezer paper still works, but does not adhere as well as the old stuff.

Print On Fabric

Freezer paper can also help you to print on fabric. For example, if you would like to personalize your labels, you can iron your freezer paper to the wrong side of the fabric, cut it to just shy of 8 ½" x 11" so stray threads don’t get caught in the printer, and print your labels on the fabric. The freezer paper gives the fabric just enough body to go through the printer as if it were a piece of paper. 

Hint: If you have problems getting the two layers to go through your printer, use scotch tape and tape a regular peice of paper to your fabric layers. Just make sure you don't try to print where the tape is, or you will have a 'blank' there.

What you'll need:

• Computer/inkjet printer (NOT laser printer)
• Freezer paper (it's the paper that is waxed on one side only)
• Light weight and light colored cotton (my favorite is Kona Snow)

First let's talk about your logo/name design. I used Adobe Photoshop to put together my label but I'm sure you can do this in Word too.

5 Things to Remember.

1. Keep it simple.
2. Use a dark ink (white in a logo will be left blank, showing the color of your fabric).
3. Choose a font that's easy to read.
4. Keep a spacing of an inch or more between labels if printing several at a time.
5. Test print on regular plain paper before you use the fabric.

Trim Your fabric to size.

• Cut a piece of freezer paper 8.5 x 11 inches (or a little larger). Place it wax side down (the shiny side), onto your fabric. With your iron preheated to a medium to high heat with no steam, iron the freezer paper to the fabric. You'll start to see it adhere to the fabric.
• Trim the fabric/freezer paper to 8.5 x 11 inches
• Load fabric/freezer paper in printer (preferably in the direct feed versus the regular paper load)
• Press print.

Make the Label ColorFast

• Wait a minute or so for the fabric to totally dry on the fabric.
• Once dry, peel away your paper backing.
• Using a dry hot iron, iron from the back side of the label. Give it a shot of steam.
• Cut and sew onto the back of your creation!
• Fold under a 1/4" on each side and whip stitch label to back of quilt.

Why use this method over others?

• It's cheap!
• It's pretty economical to do.
• It works great, but takes some time
  

The Easiest Method

Splurge on fabric that is already adhered to a backing. Zips right through the printer. Can be expensive, but how much is your time worth? Just sayin'