I have washed the labels multiple times. I took a before photo, a photo at 2 washings, and at 10 washings. I will continue to wash them and will post back with before and after photos.
100% cotton with inkjet ink
I’m a bit disappointed, really. I heat pressed both sides with a hot iron, no steam, but this turned out dismal. Imagine going through the making the quilt, quilting it, label and binding it only to have the label wash out the first washing it goes through. As a quilter, I would be disappointed. As a new recipient, I would be crushed.
I’m going to keep washing it to see how long it will take to fade down. The darker colors still show up, so if you do a full text label with line elements, that might be a good choice in a pinch. Or put it on something that won’t get washed at all. Not for baby quilts or someone going off to college.
70% polyester 30% cotton with sublimation ink
This one actually did better than I expected. The colors are still there and crisp on the background. While it looks like there is fading, the second photo was taken in different light. However, the vibrancy of the green and blue will fade over time and this does give you that look.
Also, this label clearly shows WHY you need 1″ all the way around your label when you print- I had to reprint the label because the words got cut off on the sides.
100% Polyester with sublimation ink
This is why I am making these quilt labels. A far cry from the old print and heat, the sublimation colors are crisp and there is no fading.
I had two different polyesters to try. One was Poplin and the other is a lining fabric. Both have great feel and drape. Again, the lighting was different when I took the second photo. Both did well and look really good with crisp, sharp lines. Of the two, the poplin did the best.
Other pages for labels-
- Different look of fabric– showcases 100% cotton, 100% polyester, and 70/30% poly/cotton
- Finishing your label– how to frame out your sew in label
- Label Sayings– what to say when you don’t know what to say
- Look and feel– to interface or not to interface