How to embroider school name labels

Labels on tape are the quickest for clothes: you stitch a sheet of them, then sew each one in by hand or machine. Direct embroidery looks best on bags, and the backpack guide covers hooping pockets and flaps.

Leave at least about 2 mm clear above and below the letters on tape, so they don't run into the woven edge. A first name and an initial, such as SAM K, keeps labels short enough for narrow tape. The back of neck size page covers that placement.

• Block or rounded capitals read best at label sizes. Block and Rounded both stitch down to about 5 mm.
• Skip scripts on narrow tape: their thin joins need about 10 mm or more.
• Use strong contrast, such as navy on white tape or white on navy, so a name reads at a glance.
• Keep it short. A first name and last initial, or initials and a surname, keep the letters big. Many parents put full names inside clothes and only a first name or initials on the outside of bags.
• Check the spelling against the list, letter by letter, before you stitch a sheet.

The small text guide explains why letters fill in below these sizes, and the embroidery fonts page shows the smallest size each font can be sewn at.

1. Hoop sticky tear-away, or a medium tear-away with a light mist of spray adhesive, in the largest hoop you have.
2. Lay strips of label tape across it, parallel to the hoop's long side, with gaps of about 10 mm between them. Tape the ends outside the stitching area.
3. Line the layout up so each row of names sits on the center of a strip; the placement template prints it at true size to check.
4. Stitch, then unhoop and tear the stabilizer away from the back.
5. Cut between the names, leaving about 1/2 in (12 mm) at each end to fold under, or seal the ends with a fray stopper.
6. Sew each label in with a straight stitch round all four sides, at a seam or the back of the neck.

Many embroiderers like polyester twill tape for labels: it's smooth, strong and colorfast. Cotton tape works too but can shrink a little, so prewash it.

Saving files from these tools needs a paid plan. Whatever the job, sew one label as a test on the same tape, check the letters are crisp and the name is centered, then run the full hoop. How to embroider multiple items in one hoop covers layouts, spacing and sewing order.

• Polyester thread generally holds its color through hot washes and bleach-based detergents better than rayon.
• Satin letters, not running stitch. Running-stitch letters are thin and wear faster; satin over underlay holds up.
• A firm backing for direct embroidery: cut-away on knits such as sweatshirts, so the letters keep their shape wash after wash; see the hoodie and sweatshirt stabilizer page.
• Sew labels on all round. A label held by glue or a couple of stitches tends to lift at the corners and get pulled off.
• Lock stitches stop letters unraveling after each trim; Embrizo adds them to the start and end of each stitch run.
• Wash inside out to protect labels on the outside of clothes.

For plain names, text to embroidery makes a single lettering file, and the batch and layout tools above handle sets. For a label with a school crest or a child's drawing beside the name, upload the artwork to the digitizer, set its width to fit the tape or bag, and read the design check, which flags lettering under about 5 mm. Digitizing and previewing are free with an account.

• Small motifs for bags: the free pencil, school bus, rainbow and rocket designs fit a 4×4 in hoop and download free with an account.
• More projects for the new school year: the back-to-school embroidery ideas and the kids' embroidery ideas.