How to Sew Labels on Crafts
If you make fabric crafts to sell, it is a good idea to sew a cloth label on them. It becomes a free source of advertising because customers who like your crafts enough to buy them may very well become repeat customers. They also might recommend your work to others if your name is on the craft. If a craft item is made and given as a gift, then sewing on a label can turn it into a personalized keepsake.
Instructions
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1
Select an inconspicuous place on the craft item and hold the label against the spot to confirm that it will fit. Mark all the way around the label with the tailor's chalk. The underside of the item--or the back--is usually best if there is room for the label. Set both items down until step 3.
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2
Cut a piece of thread and insert the end of the thread through the eye of the needle. Tie a knot in the loose ends of the thread.
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3
Select one of the left corners in the tailor's chalk rectangle you marked to begin attaching the label. Point the needle into the fabric 1/8 inch inside the rectangle, angle it toward the corner so it is almost level with the fabric surface and push the needle up right through the corner of the fabric. This is so the knot will be hidden under the label after the project is completed.
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4
Place the label inside the tailor's chalk lines and move in 1/4 inch up and to the right at a 45 degree angle. You will be sewing from left to right using a herringbone stitch. Insert the needle into the label and the fabric and bring it out 1/8 inch directly behind the spot where the needle went in.
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5
Bring the needle down--to the right--at a 45 degree angle and insert it into the label and fabric. Bring the needle out 1/8 inch directly behind the spot where the needle went in.
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6
Repeat step 5 and then step 6 and stop long enough to check and make sure the stitches look like a zigzag stitch with little crossed spots at the top and bottom. Then keep repeating the steps until you reach the next corner.
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7
Turn the craft item just enough that you can continue working from left to right. Make sure the corner is securely sewn by adjusting the length of the last stitch so the needle comes out right at the corner.
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8
Continue to repeat the stitches and corners until you have sewn all of the way around the label. Anchor the thread by sewing three tiny stitches in one spot--making it as small and inconspicuous as you can. Cut the excess thread off of the labeled craft.
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Tips & Warnings
Cloth labels are normally 1 inch tall and 2 inches wide, but you may find other dimensions as well. You can purchase them from local printers and embroidery shops, or you can order them online.
