Hi! Shelly Pagliai here today from Prairie Moon Quilts with some creative ways to use Dear Stella’s cute new label panel from the Love You To The Moon collection by Rae Ritchie!

Using pieces from the Love You To The Moon collection, along with the 24″ label panel and several other coordinating Dear Stella prints, I’ve created six different labels that you can make using the tutorials below, to add an extra special touch to your quilts!

But before we get started… I wanted to let you know about the *GIVEAWAY* that Dear Stella and I are hosting together!

Scroll down to the end of this post for details and entry instructions.

Now let’s get started making labels!

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Label #1 (finished size: 8” square)

When I saw this circular piece of the label panel, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it! Follow the steps below, referring to reference photos for the steps with bracketed numbers.

Cut the circular piece out of the panel with as much of a seam allowance as you can [1].

Now is a good time to write your message on your label. I talk about the markers I use in the instructions for Label #2, so refer to Label #2 if you need help with that part.

From a yellow print, cut a 5 1/2” square. Finger press the square in half both directions [2].

Finger press the label circle in half both directions and line it up with the finger-pressed marks on the square, and pin it in place [3].

Turn the raw edge under as you go, and appliqué the label in place on top of the square [4]. (You can also cut the circle the exact size you want it and raw-edge appliqué it on by machine, if you prefer.)

From a coordinating print, cut two rectangles 2” x 5 1/2” and two rectangles 2” x 8 1/2” [5].

Sew the short rectangles onto the sides of the appliquéd label piece, pressing seams toward the rectangles [6].

Then sew the longer rectangles onto the top and bottom, again pressing the seams toward the rectangles [7].

To attach the label to your quilt, first press under 1/4” on all sides of the label:

Then position it where you want it on the back side of your quilt, and pin it in place:

Appliqué the label in place, making sure that your stitches don’t go all the way through to the front side of the quilt. (This is like the same stitch that you would use to whip down your binding — super easy!)

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Label #2 (finished size: 5 1/2” x 9 3/4”)

This label was made with my daughter in mind! I’m making her a very special quilt, and she may indeed find it quite magical (I’m hoping), so I combined several pieces of the panel to create a special label for her special quilt.

Cut out the following pieces from the panel [1]:
• Top piece: 4 1/4” wide x 2 3/4” tall
• Middle piece: 5” wide x 6 3/4” tall
• Bottom piece: 6” wide x 1 7/8” tall

I used the pens shown in the photo to write the desired information on my label. The white marker is a Uni-Ball Signo, great for marking on dark fabrics, and the black one is a Sharpie Pen. You can make the lines thicker or thinner by how much you go over them, and achieve the look you want. I’ve found that these two pens don’t bleed or smear, making your letters crisper and cleaner looking. I use a scrap piece of fabric to practice on before I write on my actual label, too!

You will also need to cut, from a coordinating fabric:
• 2 rectangles 1 5/8” x 2 3/4”
• 2 rectangles 1” x 6 3/4”

Lay them out with the panel pieces, as shown [2].

Sew the rectangles to the sides of each panel piece, pressing seams toward the rectangles. Trim these sections to 6” wide, if necessary. Then sew the three panel pieces together to complete the label. Press seams either direction [3].

To attach the label to your finished quilt, see the instructions included with Label #1 above.

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Label #3 (finished size: 6 1/2” x 8 1/2”)

I fell in love with this print [1] from the collection! It’s just so cute — the animals and all their contraptions — adorable!

So I fussy cut a piece [2] from that print, 7” wide x 3 1/2” tall.

To go with it, I cut a piece [3] from the label panel, 5” square.

The yellow fabric is from Moonscape Basic. I cut:
• 2 rectangles 1 1/2” x 5”
• 1 rectangle 1 1/2” x 7”

Lay all these pieces out together, as shown [4].

Sew the two short rectangles to the sides of the 5” label piece, pressing seams toward the rectangles [5].

Sew the longer rectangle to the bottom, and the fussy cut print piece to the top (making sure you have everything right side up). Press the seams toward the rectangles [6].

Write your desired information on the label before attaching it to your quilt (see Label #2 for some tips on writing on your label). To attach the label to your finished quilt, see the instructions included with Label #1 above.

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Label #4 (finished size: 9” diameter, or 9 1/4” square)

Don’t you love this moth? I HAD to use it for a label! Cut it out 4 3/4” square [1].

From a coordinating print, cut the following [2]:
• 2 rectangles 3” x 4 3/4”
• 2 rectangles 3” x 9 3/4”

Sew the short rectangles to the sides of the panel piece, pressing seams away from center. Sew the longer rectangles to the top and bottom, pressing seams away from center [3].

You can use the label square like it is, or you can do like I did, and cut it into a circle for extra added interest [4].
Just choose something circular you have handy to draw around for the size circle you want. I used the lid of my sewing box!

Write your desired information on the label before attaching it to your quilt (see Label #2 for some tips on writing on your label). To attach the label to your finished quilt, see the instructions included with Label #1 above.

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Label #5 (finished size: 9” x 10 3/4”):

For this label, I started with the following pieces from the panel [1]:
• Top left piece: 3 1/2” tall x 4” wide
• Top right piece: 4” tall x 3” wide
• Bottom piece: 1 3/4” tall x 4 3/4” wide

To go with these pieces, I fussy cut from one of the coordinating fabrics: Treetop Party [2]! Too adorable!
• Top right piece 3” wide x 3 1/2” tall
• Middle left piece 4” square
• Bottom right piece 1 3/4” tall x 2 1/2” wide

Sew these pieces together into rows. Trim each row to measure 6 1/2” wide, if necessary [3].

Sew the rows together to create the center portion of the label. Trim this center portion to 6 1/2” wide x 8 1/4” tall. From a coordinating print such as Moonscape, cut the following pieces [4].
• Two strips 2” x 8 1/4”
• Two strips 2” x 9 1/2”

Sew the shorter strips to the sides of the center unit, pressing seams toward the strips. Sew the longer strips to the top and bottom, pressing seams toward the strips [5].

Write your desired information on the label before attaching it to your quilt (see Label #2 for some tips on writing on your label). To attach the label to your finished quilt, see the instructions included with Label #1 above.

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Label #6
I’ve got one more label option to show you, and this one is super simple!

The panel has these triangular-shaped label pieces on it, so cut out the one you’d like to use, adding as much seam allowance as you can [1].

I’m using the lighter-colored one on my quilt, and now is a good time to write your message on (see Label #2 for some tips on writing on your label). Press under the long edge 1/4” [2].

Now, as you’re attaching the binding to the top of your quilt, choose the corner you want your label in, and simply sew the square edges of the label to the back of the quilt as you’re sewing your binding on! Just pin it in place and catch it in the same seam [3].

Then all you have to do is appliqué down the one long edge of this label [4].

Makes much quicker work of it, right? And can you believe I had a quilt from last year that still needed a label? I can’t, either — for shame! You never wait this long to label your quilts, do you?

When you whip your binding down on the back side of your quilt, just keep on stitching over the label portion, and it makes your label all neat on the back corner [5]!

You could also use this method with any of the other quilt labels above, except for the circular one. Just position two sides of the label to be sewn in with the binding, and you’ll have less of the label to appliqué down later!

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Here are a few extra tips that might help you with your labels…

            • When a seam will be on the outer edge of a label, backstitch at the ends of those seams, to keep them from pulling out while you’re doing the appliqué part.

            • If you’re using a stripe fabric, and you want the stripes running all the same direction, pay special attention to which direction you’re cutting the rectangles from, and you can get them positioned correctly. (See Labels #3 and #5 above for examples of this.)

            • If you can’t cut as much seam allowance as you’d like for your label patch, consider taking a bit smaller seam allowance than the normal 1/4” so you’re not cutting off the edges of your design. Be careful not to go too small, however, because you don’t want the seams of your label pulling out as the quilt gets used.

            • Experiment on a fabric scrap with various markers and pens to get your letters to look the way you want them, or consider using embroidery and stitching the information on, if time allows. Do this before you sew your label onto your quilt back!

Thanks for visiting the Dear Stella blog today. I hope this inspires you to get your quilts labelled properly, and in style! (Don’t procrastinate about it like I do!)

There are so many cute parts and pieces to this panel that you can do so much more with. I encourage you to experiment with the other little bits to create all sorts of cute little labels for your quilts. And not just labels! I couldn’t resist also using this piece right here:

To see what I did with it, and get the *free tutorial* for that as well, go visit my website, Prairie Moon Quilts.

If you’ve made it this far, we’re having a give-away for 2 bundles of Love You to the Moon; one for you, and one for a friend! Because good labeling habits are contagious.

And for an EXTRA chance to win, I’m also having a giveaway on my blog! So when you pop over to get the additional free quilt block tutorial, you can enter there too. Happy Stitching!

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