Sewing clothing is a lot of fun, and it gets better if you can make labels for your designs. Having a pretty label with your name or the cloth’s description will give your handmade clothing an authentic feel. You can choose to use ready-made labels or make your own.
Ready-made labels come in different designs, colors, shapes, and sizes. You may also decide to buy a tag from a store that custom makes them so that you can have something that resonates with your style.
Now that you have the label, the next thing is to figure out where to attach it to the clothes and how. Most people expect to see the tags at the upper back of the fabric. However, you can have it anywhere else.
Before we look at the ways of attaching labels on garments, let us look at why you need to label clothes.
What is the importance of fabric labels?
Many reasons warrant the labeling of clothes and other gear. The first reason as mentioned above is to personalize your fabrics.
When children are headed to school, camp or are joining a sports team, labeling the clothes will ensure that they come home with them. Also, when headed to a college where they use a shared laundry service, labeling is vital.
When your loved one is headed to an assisted living facility, institutions will ask that all the washable clothes be labeled before admission.
There are three types of fabric labels, which require different tactics to attach
How to attach sew-in labels on fabrics
Once you have chosen a spot, one way of connecting the tag is to stitch around the four sides of the ready-made label. Before stitching, remember to turn all four sides under.
If you are planning to stitch the label into a seam, you will have to turn the three ends under the label and sew them onto the seam before attaching it to the fabric.
Another way is to stitch a loop into the seam. You can make a loop using different methods, but the easiest involves the use of an iron. Use a long, slender tag and fold all the ends up, all at 90-degree angles. Place the parchment paper, or a thin piece of cotton over the label then iron the edges. You can now sew in the label. Ironing makes sewing easy.
How to attach iron-on labels on fabrics
1. Heat your iron. Since every iron is different, set it at the cotton setting. Do not turn on the stem. Wait for the iron to heat.
2. Iron the fabric at the spot where you plan on placing the label to heat and prepare it for the placement.
3. Now, put the label at the chosen spot on the garment and give it a solid iron to hold it in place. Make sure you press hard enough.
4. Move the iron over the label for about ten seconds. Note that some fabrics will require only 5 seconds. It is vital that you have enough heat in your iron to activate the glue because that is all it needs.
5. The glue on the labels will take about 24 hours to set. During this time, do not wash the garments to allow proper setting. Once it has cooled, you can carry out the pick test to tell how firmly it is set in place. If it comes out quickly, it means that it did not take iron well or the iron did not have enough heat. Increase the iron’s heat and repeat the above steps.
Tips for handling delicate fabrics
Garments made of wool, merino, and polyesters can only take in short bursts of heat. Put the label on the clothing and press for a short period to protect the fabric. Use kitchen baking paper to protect the material as opposed to using cloth. The heat should be enough to reach the fabric but not too much to the extent of damaging it. The heat will melt the label and the garment. When using baking paper, you can increase the heat because you will require more heat when using baking paper than ironing the label directly.
A useful tip for labeling socks
If you want to put the fabric label on socks, place it the SOLE, that is, under the foot.
How to attach stick-on labels on fabrics
If you do not have an iron or you don’t want to go through the hassle of using a heat press to label clothes, you can use the peel and stick labels for fabrics. They are not as durable as iron-on labels, and they may come off after several washing rounds. However, they are easier to remove than the iron-on labels, especially if you want to pass on the garments.
I hope you have enjoyed learning how to attach fabrics on clothing. Make sure you try these tactics on your next sewing project!
