Friday, October 25, 2019

Name Tag Tutorial

One of the things we are asked to do as Guild Members is to wear a name tag to our meetings. There are a lot of us, and most of us won't remember a name even though we remember a face. Name tags make it a lot easier to get to know each other.  They don't need to be fancy, but they do need to be functional - easy to read and worn above the waist on your front.

Here is one way to make a simple nametag.

Materials include:
a scrap of plain solid for the name area
a scrap of 'other' fabric for the back
a piece of stiff batting or Peltex 70F
thread to match or coordinate
pin back and a dab of glue gun or E6000

If you are new to these things, here is a simple explanation:


Pellon® 70 Peltex® Ultra-Firm Sew-In is an ultra firm, smooth, heavyweight, sew-in stabilizer for extra support. It is excellent for accessories, crafts, home decorating, and quilting. Peltex® is easy to sew, even when sandwiched in between other fabrics. It will not flatten or distort with steam pressing.
Peltex® 70F is the fusible version.
 
Using a piece of parchment paper under and over your work, Fuse your scraps to back and front of your chosen product, trim to a size big enough to print your name on the solid side.  If you are using batting, a fusible web works fine.

Using a zigzag stitch on your machine, cover the raw edges with a wide overcast stitch.
40 WT cotton in both needle and bobbin

TOP-STITCHING NEEDLE for use with 40 wt thread
use a pencil to give yourself a line to write on


Print your name with a permanent pen, Pigma, gel pen, or similar ink.  


Make it big enough that you can read it from across a crowded room.

Apply a pin back with your glue gun or a glob of E6000.  Check your pinback to make sure it is fully functional before you glue it on, and after the glue dries also.  For E6000, allow to dry overnight where you will not smell the fumes.


 I had a large bag of pin backs, and some were trashed... for various reasons.