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Top Tips To Remember Your Quilt History

Summary

Here are some great tips on preserving and remembering your quilting history -- a quilting binder and quilt labels. How do you do it?

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Top Tips To Remember Your Quilt History

First, let’s talk about labeling your works of art. A label can be as simple or as ornate as you want. For instance, the one I put on my granddaughter’s wedding quilt is fancy, with the name of the quilt, the couple’s names, date of the wedding, an engagement photo and an Irish toast.

Top Tips To Remember Your Quilt History

 

But the ones on many of my quilts simply give the name of the quilt, the date made and who quilted it, unless it was made for a particular person and then it has all the details. Here’s a sample:

Seaside Quilt

Made especially for Daughter-in-law

Karen Q Recipient

for her newly redecorated
Beach Room!
We love you dearly, sweetheart.
From Dad & Mom, December 2013
Made by Carol Quiltmaker (Mom)

 

You don’t have to adopt these ideas for your own labels. Put anything you think might be interesting or helpful on them; just keep in mind someone 20 years from now might want to know the history of that quilt.

 

I have a binder with quilt photos in it, and pages of information on the where, why and how. Here’s the book with a cover my hubby did for me:

Quilt History Binder

 

And here is a sample of the interior pages with photos and information.

Quilt History Page

 

And a second sample of the interior pages with photos and information.

Quilt History Page

 

Please do this or something like it for your quilts. Tell all about them, the name of the pattern, where the fabric came from (if purchased special), and who they were made for, if appropriate. It’s fun to think that years from now, your descendants will look through your book and say, “Wow!” They will talk about who owned the quilt in the first place, where it is now and how it came to be there.

My two sons and their wives have several of my quilts. The five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren all have at least one quilt I made; the two who are married now have more than one. Sis-in-law and hubby have one, as does the brother-in-law and wife. Every single quilt was sewn with stitches of love and I believe they know that.

I am fortunate to have two quilts made by my mother and one by my grandmother, none of which had labels. So I made the labels with the information I knew, but I also included the fact the labels had been done later, by me. Now my descendants (and theirs) will know all about those treasures.

Commissioned quilts have the label information requested by the person who is footing the bill, of course! Usually baby names, dates of birth, and “Lovingly given by Grandma Sally.” But my name, the quilter’s name, and date are also on that label, just in smaller type.

Use your imagination! If making a quilt for a teenager, put his or her baby picture on the label, a nickname if appropriate, and whatever other information you might have.

Have fun! Your labels and Quilt Book will show it!

 

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Glossary

Label
Information some people attach to a quilt that may contain the your name, name of the quilt, town, year and pattern used.
Author
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