DIY Faux Suede Labels for Handmade Items

Did you know that you can use printed and transferred paper with Cricut faux suede to create your own Chicago style or sew on tags? If you're knitting or crocheting anything right now, you'll find that there's almost always a small leather tag attached to a handmade item. If you want something that looks super great and is a little more budget friendly, then you've found the right blog post for that project.

Today I'm going to show you how to make your own yarn heart fold on a Chicago style tag.

Supplies.

✴ Needlework pieces, such as nesting bowl sets or crochet trellis

✴Printable iron-on transfer paper

✴DIY yarn heart tags

✴Scissors or rotary cutters

✴Chicago-style screws

✴Cricut Easy Press or Iron-On

✴Parchment paper

✴Cricut Faux Suede

Optional supplies.

✴Leather Punch

The way I use transfer paper may not work for all types of transfer paper. Please read the instructions on the packaging of your transfer material to see if you can peel it off while the paper is still very hot. I found my transfer material on Amazon, and while Walmart has two different ones that also work well, I like that both brands can be peeled off when hot, the heat transfer is short, and the feel is a bit soft. I've linked to the one on Amazon because it's my preferred transfer material to use.

The first step is to print the label onto the transfer paper. Read the instructions on the package before printing. Have a space available and set up a hard surface for you to use Easy Press or an iron, I have a Cricut Mat that I use and it is perfect for this type of project.

If you are using a Cricut Easy Press, set your machine to 300 degrees and 30 seconds.

After printing the transfer paper, I like to cut it into strips and leave the excess white on the sides of the print. I also like to peel the paper backing from the transfer material, although this is not a required step. To peel off the paper backing, make a small tear on one side of the strip, then peel off a bit of the paper backing and place the transfer side down on the pressing surface. Then hold it with one hand and gently peel it off with the other hand.

The transfer material may peel off, depending on the brand you use, and that's okay, as long as the ink remains on the transfer material and becomes clear when heated.

I didn't photograph both hands because I was taking this picture. But you will need one hand to hold down the transfer paper while peeling off the paper backing.

Place the parchment paper over the paper so that it covers the surface of the transfer paper and fabric.

Place Easy Press or iron firmly, or if using Easy Press, press the Cricut button and wait for the timer to go off.

Wait 3-5 seconds, then peel off the paper backing. I like to gently tap the surface as it cools, I think it helps eliminate the stickiness.

Cut the label into strips along the dotted lines and cut out the holes. I bought a leather punch and it works great on these, and works best if you fold the label and punch two layers.

I used scissors to round off my corners, which I think makes the final tag more professional and less like a DIY tag.

The Cricut Faux Suede Pack comes with more than one color chart, 2 browns, black, red and light tan. I made my labels in the same color scheme as these so that I could use all papers except black, since the ink would not appear on that one. If you'd like to try these with my Yarn Heart tags, you can find printable ones in my Etsy Shop

Wrap them around your craft and secure them with Chicago style screws.

These tags look perfect for the DIY version. If you want to get your own labels and want to purchase faux suede labels, you can find many different vendors on Etsy. But if you need some quick labels, want some variety or just a handful of labels, and want to try the DIY route, these are definitely a good choice. The only unpleasant thing about these labels is that you do lose the soft feel of faux suede by ironing the transfer material. Other than that, they are perfect for DIY labels.

If you use four out of five sheets of paper, you'll end up with about 128 labels or so. The Chicago Style Screws I found come in a pack of 90, so to make 90 complete labels, you'll only spend about $40, or less if you use a Michaels coupon or get any supplies on sale with Cricut merchandise. Another fun way to use this faux suede is as a signature tag!

If you try using these DIY tags, I would really love to see pictures of items made using the ideas from my blog. Please click here to contact me.