A number of readers expressed interest in a "how to" about cloth labels. Whether you are selling your wares or gifting them for the holidays, it feels fantastic to tag your creation.I'd been wanting to create my own maya*made labels ever since I saw the price tag to get them done professionally. Phew! Unless you're going into huge production, so not worth it. Besides, you know how much I enjoy making everything myself. The first thing I thought of was stamping onto twill tape. I ran out and had a custom rubber stamp made. It cost about $12 at Staples. I then proceeded to experiment with various stamping mediums. Tried stamp pads... not permanent. Tried textile paint... messy and inconsistent. I even made my own pad for textile paint... still hit or miss results. I gave up until this light bulb: a fabric marker hand applied to the stamp for each print.
It's time consuming and a bit wonky, but it's the best trick I've found for this method.
A little interesting "re-use" fact about the above twill tape... a friend gave me a huge spool of 3/4 inch yellow cotton twill tape. It's perfect, except for the yellow part. I love yellow, but just not for ALL of my labels! I couldn't let it go to waste, so I tried boiling it in black tea for an hour...voila!
A lovely natural brown/tea color. I love it and will find so many uses for it! When someone hands you lemon colored tape... make tea with it!Not feeling 100% satisfied, I did some on-line research and came up these ideas:
1.Here are labels printed directly onto a colorfast fabric sheet on my home printer.
I haven't used them yet, but will try them out soon. Here's the tutorial I used.
2.This tutorial is worth trying someday... you put your cloth directly into your printer. Nice results, but I've been a little scared of mishaps and the complications of proper alignment.
3. And finally, this is the tutorial I've been following and am really happy with. These are the tags you keep seeing on my pincushions.
I've been ironing them onto a thick and rugged cotton twill and loving the results. Two tips when trying this:
-remember to reverse your image before you print it
-cut as much away from your label before you iron it on(notice how close to the letters I snipped)
Please let me know any label ideas you've had and methods you've tried... I'm always on the look out for something fun and new. Hope this is helpful!
Oh, Maya! This tutorial is EXACTLY what I needed right now! I have a roll of cloth ribbon sitting here and a bemused look on my face for days because I couldn't find a way to make my own custom ribbon. Yea for you! You should post this tutorial on instructables.com, getcrafty.com, and the sewmamasew.com forum to get things stirring... :D
ReplyDeleteOh, man, I really love the stamp one..I wonder how much it would cost to get my own done here in Oz???
ReplyDeleteThanks for the ideas, I've been trying to comeup with an inexpensive method for a while.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the great solutions! I once saw a label tutorial using a Gocco to silk screen the name on the tape, but since I don't have one...
ReplyDeleteVery helpful!
thanks for all the links! I ordered some tags and I'm not happy with them at all. I guess I have to do it myself. I may tea dye them even though I don't have yellow tape--it just looks so great!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea - especially the tea part!!!
ReplyDeleteoh the things you never knew you needed... I will be making these, thanks :)
ReplyDeleteI love these, especially the tea! I'll be linking.
ReplyDeleteYour tags are totally cool and so are your homemade envelopes with the zigzag stitching!
ReplyDeletecould you just make them for me? seriously, doesn't sound too tough, but I like how yours turned out and I would be bound to screw it up! xo t
ReplyDeleteSo cool! I wish that I worked with textiles just so I could make tags like that. They look wonderful and go well with your products.
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy that this is turning out to be to helpful for so many of you! Hurray! I'm also really loving how much all of you appreciated the "tea-dying".
ReplyDeletethis is awesome... and in perfect timing.. thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial. Thanks! I had a stamp made up but I used the wrong kind of tape. I will know better now.
ReplyDeleteDawn
Thanks for doing all the hard work for us and trying out all those tutorials. I love the look! And your new banner complements this post very nicely!
ReplyDeleteGreat labels! I made mine by printing them onto fusible ink jet fabric. Then I just iron them on and sew a border. I love that they're fusible so I don't have to use pins or anything to keep them in place when I sew them on.
ReplyDeletethank you, thank you, thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteI just went and bought me some twill tape and iron on transfer paper. Your lovely post was so timely and inspirational. Thanks Maya!
ReplyDeleteSew helpful! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYour creations are so wonderful. Those baskets are practical AND pretty!
ReplyDeleteI love the fabric marker idea. I've been using fabric paint rolled thin like a stamp pad, but it goops up in certain spots.
ReplyDeletethanks for the idea!
I love the tea staining! What a great idea!
ReplyDeleteI blogged about the labels I made here:
http://loopandlil.blogspot.com/2008/09/tagyoure-it.html
I, too, had a custom stamp made (it was under $15), then got a fabric ink stamp pad (VersaCraft was the brand), and it's permanent if you heat set it. I've test washed the labels several times, and they haven't faded yet!
These turned out so great!!! I need to make some for my scarves...but I've been so lazy.
ReplyDeleteBtw...the post below this is beautiful. I love it when kids get involved. They're just as inspired as the rest of us.
I hope you don't mind, I liked this post to my blog. This is exactly what I needed months ago. I will use this going forward.. thanks so much for saving me more heartache in trying to order it. :D
ReplyDeleteit's a great and cheap idea !
ReplyDeletethanks a lot Maya !
Sorry for my poor English, I'm French ! ;-)
thanks sooo much for sharing!! I hope you have a super wonderful day!! hugs!! Britt :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this idea!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to share with you what I've been doing for years for my own labels. Take freezer paper and iron the shiny side down onto wrong side of fabric, (I usually use heavy muslin or cotton). Cut to size 8 1/2 x 11. Make sure it fits in your printer.
ReplyDeleteI use this alot in my quilt making, it's great! The applications for this method are endless.
So Clever!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your tutorial. I've just started a crafty blog and even jumped into an etsy store because i have an insatiable need to create and share! I plan on using your suggestions. Have you thought about using fabric paint, or would that take up too much time? Best to you!
ReplyDeletethat's how I do my labels too! but only because i found it hard to find fabric ink pads at my local store... out of desperation i just coloured in my stamp with a crayola fabric marker and stamped it on twill tape. but i always thought this method was inferior and was always looking for a better way out there. so it's encouraging to read that someone else actually finds this a very effective method :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the label information!
ReplyDeleteI have looked at dozens of homemade label tutorials in the last week, and this is by far my favorite! I already purchased my custom stamp, fabric ink, and stamp cleaner, but unfortunately I'm having a hard time finding cotton twill tape. I found some online but am unwilling to wait for it to ship here (it's also more than I want to spend). Are there maybe some other materials that I could find in regular craft stores (Joann's, hobby lobby, etc) that wouldn't fray and would be good for stamping? I would appreciate any suggestions!
ReplyDeleteThe woven labels are playing a vital role in conferring a bran recognition to the business organization. The woven labels also enhance the ambiance of the clothes in the best ever manner.
ReplyDeletethat's brilliant stamps Collections.Design Your Own Stamp so good.
ReplyDeleteThanks, brilliant!
ReplyDelete