I joined a quilt guild about a year ago. Many of the members have the cutest handmade name tags. I’ve been wanting to make myself one, but never got around to it until today!
I’ve been saving selvages from my quilting fabric for quite a few years. I just know there is a fantastic project that will come from these. But today, I pulled out just a few to use for my name tag.
I decided to make my name tag 5.5″ x 5.5″. I started with a 6″ piece of plain white Kona fabric. I fused a 6″ piece of Pellon 987F Fusible Fleece to the back. Next I traced a 2.5″ square template in the middle. I wanted my name to be handwritten, so I practiced a bit, then wrote my name in the square with a pencil. This became the base for my name tag.
From here, I just started playing with my selvages. Wanting a variety, I chose them based on color, designer, manufacturer and fabric name. I used a blanket stitch to attach them to my base, trimming back to 6″.
Once I was happy with the borders, I went about embroidering my name with a ‘split stitch’. I used a pretty shade of green DMC No. 8 Perle Cotton.
I chose a nice fabric for the back, also cutting it to 6″ square. Placing the front and back right sides together, I stitched around all sides with a 1/4″ seam. Backstitching on the stop and start, I left about 4″ open at the top of the name tag. After trimming the corners, I turned the name tag right side out, gently pushing out the corners.
Next I took a 5″ square piece of lightweight, but hard plastic, and put it on the inside of my name tag. This is the type of plastic used in the bottom of many purses and tote bags. I had a lanyard from somewhere in my past that I had been saving. After placing the string from my lanyard inside the top of the name tag, I sewed the top seam shut.
I have to say, I am quite happy with the result! Now I won’t forget who I am!
In case you are wondering where I got the little ‘SEWIST’ pin, it came from Abby Glassenberg of ‘while she naps‘. In addition to making dolls and toys, she has an interesting blog and newsletter.