The next time you give a handmade gift, add one of these printable "handmade with..." tags! There are lots of ways and reasons to provide some information about your project, and the type of thing you're making may determine some of that for you. But no matter what those things are, why not have a little fun with it?
These free PDF tags came about from a conversation about providing care instructions for the things you make. For example, if you generously knit a sweater for a friend, they need to know what it's made of and any special laundry guidelines. Not knowing this could result in disaster. Caring for embroidery or cross stitch may not be as vital, but it may be good to share tips for keeping it clean or what to do if the fabric loosens in the hoop.
This conversation (which happened in a Patreon-exclusive episode of The Very Serious Crafts Podcast) led to the idea of making something with love, but also how sometimes some drama gets in there. You know what I'm talking about, right?
My current project is using metallic thread and that always adds some drama. I'm working with Kreinik braided embroidery thread, which is easier than DMC brand, but it's still trickier than cotton floss. Do I need to tell anyone that the fiber content includes metallic thread? No. But it's funny to say that it includes drama!
And metallic thread is just one example of a time that this might be fun to include! Different types of materials, complex patterns, or some tragic accident (think spills, color bleeding, or actual bleeding!) all may call for a funny tag.
Of course, people will likely appreciate when they receive something that was only made with cotton (or another material) and love. That's really what this should all be about. But if you're making a gift for another crafter, they'll probably also be impressed when there was no drama in the making! Oh, and while these printables are focused more on the content of the project, but you can also use the back of the tag to write down any special instructions for care.
To be perfectly honest, I always forget to label my work, but I'm trying to be better about it. At least when I'm giving something away. Now that I have this printable, I may be more consistent. But I did start using a simple trick to sign my embroidery hoops in some way.
Because I often trim and gather the fabric on the back of a hoop, I've started signing and dating in the inside of the embroidery hoop. It's not as obvious as if I signed the outside of the hoop (something I've tried but feel funny about), but it's still somewhat visible. And it's there for posterity.
Now if I add a printed tag, it could get tucked into the back as well!
How do you like to label or tag your projects?
I bought some cute labels that say Made with Love (+swear words). Honesty in labelling! Thanks for the tags.
ReplyDeleteYes to honesty!
DeleteThank you for these lovely tags! (My handknits are made with lots of love, a dash of drama, and probably more cat hair than actual yarn.) :3
ReplyDeleteThis sounds accurate! Mine also have cat hair and a bit of guinea pig too!
DeleteI love the included "drama" ingredient!
ReplyDelete