It's sometimes an afterthought to add the label after completing the quilt. Most times, sadly, it's never added and the information about the quilt's maker is lost. Like my last blog post about quilts telling stories, does every quilt need a label? Afterall, I make quilts to satisfy me need to create and I assume when I leave my earthly home, they will go to my DS to do whatever he wants with them. I am OK with that. They served their purpose by my creating them and I don't expect anyone else to like them or use them. So, do these have to be labelled? My time is precious and short, so do I need to spend an extra few hours creating the label? My short answer to this long question is....YES!
What's the point of labeling? The information added to the quilt is vital to future generations to know about the maker, who the maker is/was, where the maker is/was from, why it was made, when is was made or finished. It's not a guarantee that the quilts will survive you. That will depend on the quality of materials, construction, environment conditions, etc...but most likely, the quilts will last for many generations to come if taken care of. It could be sold or given to someone who never knew you or your family. I've seen plenty of quilts in garage sales, antique shops, thrift stores, auctions, and sadly, some are thrown away or retired to a dog pen.
When I add labels, I make it relevant to the quilt. It's not just a scrap off the floor and stuck in the bottom back corner of the quilt. Making it relate to the quilt makes a statement that the information is important, attaching it in a prominent area on the backside of the quilt and stitching through the label as a permanent patch.
There are hi-tech options to add like tagging. If you submit the quilt to national shows and it's out of your hands and control for periods of time, I could see this expense as a kind of insurance. Speaking of insurance, this is a good idea when you enter shows. I've heard so many horror stories of loss and damage to quilts.
Documenting quilts can go further than just placing a label on the backside at completion. Maintaining a spreadsheet or journaling all your quilts with information like who it was gifted or sold to can help relatives know where all your quilts went and who may own them, what year they were made, why it was made, if the quilt is no longer/cut up for other things, etc...and all that can be documented in a spreadsheet or word file which makes updating easy. Keep these important details with all your other important documents so that your survivors will be able to locate it. Make notations of where you want your quilts to go if you haven't gifted them to who they are intended for already. You may have an antique quilt in your collection that a local quilt museum would like to have if it's not intended for anyone else in the family. Sometimes professional quilters have passed away leaving quilts to family, but they don't want them, or they have simply kept their favorite works you've made and cannot keep them all. Spelling out details in a will might be what you need to do.
When I see a quilt with a label, the information contained is appreciated and important. It could also add to the value and importance of the quilt. A quilt made by a nationally known artist will be more desirable and worth more. Like all forms of art, an accomplished artists' work carries a price relevant to their expertise. It's also important to state whether the quilter's maker is a professional, has a quilt business, website, etc...as that will tell about them which reflects their style, history, experience, and ability.
I've heard the saying, " it's not a quilt until it's quilted". To me, "a quilt's not completed until the label is attached".
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