How to Make a Quilt Label + Washing your Quilt – FREE Beginner Quilting Videos and Pattern
You did it! You made your first quilt! Now it is time to talk about how to take care of it so it lasts as long as possible and how to make a label so that everyone knows you are the one who worked really hard to make it!
First let’s talk about labels! It is so important that you create a label for your quilt and stitch it to the back. I show you how I create mine in the video. You want everyone to know that you made this quilt and the occasion you made it for.
That means if you are making your precious grandchild a quilt, you want to write your full name, the year you made it, the occasion (like to celebrate a birth or wedding), the pattern name and who quilted it if it wasn’t you. That way the other grandma doesn’t get credit years from now when the story behind the quilt is forgotten, or it only says, “From Grandma with love.”
Now let’s talk about washing because that is always what I get asked when we finish our beginner quilting series at the brick and mortar version of Quilt Addicts Anonymous. I always wash my quilts in cold water and tumble dry low using a clear detergent with no dyes or fragrances.
There is special soap that is made for washing quilts, and I talk about it in the video, but the most important thing is that you don’t add any chemicals to your fabric when you wash your quilt and blue detergent that smells fresh linen is filled with chemicals.
You may also want to consider throwing a couple of Shout Color Catchers in with your quilt when you wash it for the first time. They look like dryer sheets are available in the laundry aisle of most major supermarkets. Color Catcher will catch any excess dye in the water and trap it on the sheet, preventing it from bleeding onto other fabrics on your quilt.
Many quilters will through a few in the first time they wash a quilt to be on the safe side. Most fabrics that are available at quilt shops have been dyed in a way to prevent bleeding when you wash them. Just another reason to buy from your local quilt shop or favorite online retailer (like us *hint hint*). But it never hurts to be on the safe side.
When you wash your quilt for the first time, it will shrink about 3 percent if you used a natural fiber in your quilt batting. Some people really love that crinkly cozy look and wash their quilt as soon as they are finished to achieve it.
I really like the crisp, just quilted look, so I avoid washing my quilts as long as possible. And really only wash them once a year or so once they have gotten their first bath. Unless you have a quilt for a child that will get messy, that is really all you need to keep it nice.
I like to rotate the quilts on my bed and couch every couple of months and give them their yearly wash when I switch to a new one. Now I have been quilting for more than a decade and am steadily working toward a goal of having one king sized quilt for every month of the year, so your quilts may get used a bit more when you get started and don’t have as many.
Thank you so much for following along with this Beginner Quilting series. If this was your first quilt, I hope you are inspired to make many more and are hooked. If you’ve been quilting for a while, I hope you learned some new tips and tricks to help make your quilting better, faster and more enjoyable!
If you are enjoying these videos, but haven’t downloaded the pattern yet, make sure you do it! We’ll send it to you for FREE, plus a 20% off coupon that you can use on everything we use in the beginner quilting series.
That includes all of your notions and in-stock fabric from QT Fabrics, our class sponsor! We also have created a few quilt kits for the Split Nine Patch pattern and have made digital versions of the quilts so you’ll know you love it before you start sewing.
The coupon will be sent to you via email after you download your FREE pattern to go along with this course. Click here to download your free copy.
Other videos in the series:
- Beginner Class Introduction
- Must Have Quilting Supplies and Tools
- How to Read a Quilt Pattern
- What’s the Difference??? Quilt Shop vs. Chain Store Fabric
- How to Use a Rotary Cutter
- 3 Ways to Sew a Perfect Quarter-Inch Seam Every Time
- How to Sew a Split Nine Patch Quilt Block
- How to Chain Piece Quilt Blocks
- How to Assemble the Quilt Top
- How to Layer and Baste a Quilt
- Walking Foot Quilting! Straight and Curvy Lines
- Continuous Binding + Mitered Corners
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