For those of you that might not be aware, crocheters (or really anyone for that matter) who creates items designed for children are expected (by US law) to label them. The law actually went into effect August 14, 2009 and basically says:
…manufacturers…have (to affix) a tracking label or other distinguishing permanent mark on any consumer product primarily intended for children twelve and younger. The tracking label must contain certain basic information, including the source of the product, the date of manufacture and more detailed information on the manufacturing process such as a batch or run number. The scope of this provision is quite broad in that it applies to all children’s products, including, but not limited to, items such as clothing or shoes not just toys and other regulated products.
You can read more about the law here: Tracking Labels for Children’s Products
Now, a lot of people might look at that and shy away from it because basically–everything you make that is intended for young kids HAS to be labeled…and that can get expensive. But it really doesn’t have to be! If you have access to a printer, a graphic program (you can use paid ones like Photoshop or free ones like GIMP, or Sumopaint), some plain white ribbon, T-shirt transfer paper, and a hot iron–you’re set!
Start by opening your chosen graphics program. Create a new image as wide as your ribbon and as long as you want. In my case I decided on a fold-over, so I set mine to 1.5″ high by 4″ wide. (For those of you using programs that can’t covert pixels to inches: 1.5″ high by 4″ wide translates to 108 pixels high by 288 pixels wide.) Make sure you set your pixels per inch (ppi) to at least 300. That will give you a nice and crisp image for your label.
Or you can totally cheat and snatch up this PDF template! I won’t tell. Promise 😉 HodgePodge Crochet IRON ON RIBBON LABEL TEMPLATE
If you have photoshop, you want this template: HodgePodge Crochet PSD Template Download on MediaFire
Once that is set, it’s time to design! Here is what mine looked like when I was finished.
As you can see, I have my logo on one side and all the important info on the other! You can go with color if you’d like but my printer happened to be out when I went to print so I went grayscale. BUT, the beauty part about designing your own labels is that you can edit them whenever you need to and it’s relatively simple to do!
What you decide to put on your label is completely up to you but the main categories are:
- Material (This includes what sort of yarn you used. If it’s a blend or a mix of yarns, add in each one along with the blend percentage.)
- Location (A zip code along with your city and country really is the way to go. It looks neater and doesn’t take up too much real estate!)
- Item (This is where you will have to get creative and start cataloging your items. For me, VD means dress with diaper cover.)
- DOM (Date of manufacture. This will be edited according to when your particular item was actually completed.)
- Care instructions. This part is NOT required but is a nice touch to add to your completed project. Most people who buy crochet items have no idea how to care for them properly so a little heads up helps extend the life of their handmade product.)
Once you get it all fixed up the way you like it, then you have to lay it out onto an 8×10 sheet and reverse the image. Print it out following the T-shirt paper instructions and when you are finished you should have something like this:
Now the fun part happens! All that is left is to cut out your labels and iron them onto the ribbon.
When I finished cutting mine apart, I had adorable (and functional) fold over labels that cost me practically pennies to make. And I had the satisfaction of knowing that my finished project really was 100% handmade by me!
I was pretty thrilled that these labels were so simple to make. The whole project took me about two hours (from the beginning of the design to the actual sewing onto my garment), and I think they look absolutely fabulous!
Have some fun with this one and I promise, once you try it you’ll be hooked!
Tagged: Business, clothing, Crochet Fashions, design, labels, law, Manufacturing, Printing, Products, style, Tutorial, United States
Tanya, this is fantastic, thank you.
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❤
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What kind of ribbon did you use? Satin? Grosgrain?
I’m just venturing into selling (my SIL asked me to make a blanket to give as a wedding gift) and I love this labeling idea! Thanks so much for sharing 😀
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The ribbon I used for this particular project was 100% polyester 🙂 You can use any ribbon at all as long as you follow your iron’s settings and pay careful attention so that you adhere the label without scorching your ribbon. Have fun!
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I LOVE YOUR SITE! This is very helpful. Thanks for sharing!
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I just finished my first pair of the loopy baby booties…never having tried a project like this before…I love them, but the front of one bootie has loops on it and the other has the flap for the button loops ….don’t know what I did wrong. I thought I followed the tutorial pretty close for the second bootie (right foot)…do you know what I might have done wrong? I know that when I finished the top 2 rows of fpsc and bpsc I didn’t end up on the edge to make the button loops so I improvised but then got booties that don’t look the same on the front 😦 Help!
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Without looking at them it’s sort of hard to say?? Perhaps you forgot to sc without working the loops for the flap? It happens and you can really work these booties either way if you wanted a more loop filled shoe. 🙂
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Thank you so much Tanya! This is an excellent tutorial, and I’m certainly going to be trying it! Could you tell me where I could find t-shirt transfer paper? I went in to Beverly’s and they didn’t even know what I was talking about! Is it the same as what’s used to make darts while sewing? (Lol, that’s what they asked me there–I don’t sew!)
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I have no idea what a sewing dart is!! hahaha. I picked mine up at my local WalMart 🙂 It’s put out by Avery who makes a specific paper for inkjet printers (which I have) AND for light colored fabrics. Read the packaging before picking it up to make sure you get the right one for your ribbon! http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10353058&findingMethod=rr
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Aweome great idea….Thank You for posting
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Thank you for this great post!
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The labels are great. I wonder how many people do not know about the law. I guess I should link to it from my personal crochet patterns should anybody be thinking of selling the finished items.
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Thank you for sharing!! what a great tip!
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This is great. I’ve wondered for a long time now if I could make the labels myself. Thank you so much!
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Thank you for sharing this. I filed this information on my pinterest board, it’s the only filing system I can keep up with.
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awesome thanks for sharing
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Thank you!! So sweet of you to share this!
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Awwwwesome!!! Thanks so much for doing this!!
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Thank you so much Tanya!! This is my next project =0)
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