Making Jeans Labels
TL:DR- Our jeans labels are screen-printed on washable paper and they are pretty fucking fun!
Makers gonna make, right? We’re certainly making jeans and they need sexy labels. I’m sharing some of my adventures in and the process behind making jeans labels.
I guess the story starts in 2018. I noticed my favorite jeans button supplier, CitronJeans, offered blank paper labels in their shop. (They are located in Japan, but their shipping is FAST and their buttons are the only ones I even consider using.) I found the size of these labels, although “standard,” a bit large so I ended up cutting these labels in half. But I didn’t otherwise know how to use them. I sewed other woven sewing labels onto them!
It sounds absurd to me now. There’s SO MANY woven (and some printed) sewing labels out on the market, but there aren’t any really designed for jeans. I do see custom leather labels as an option. (The example below was gifted to me by Jamie.)
At any rate, the washable paper is out there. Sometimes it’s called vegan leather. Though, more commonly, vegan leather refers to a vinyl or other synthetic material that has a leather-like appearance. The washable paper is actually available in a wide range of colors. (This particular Etsy shop in Poland has BEAUTIFUL COLORS.) One and a half yard rolls of 19” width are common. I chose to purchase some cut to letter (8.5” x 11”) size so I could print on it from home with my laser printer. The print quality is good and I knew the paper would be fine in the wash. The ink, toner rather, ought to be permanent.
I printed a page with various (mostly sweary) phrases, cut them to size and tossed them in the washing machine with some jeans. I lost quite a few labels to the laundry gods (think tiny socks). Some showed up in the dryer or the gasket. (Several days, weeks later, I think I’m still missing at least four.) They faded a lot.
I changed the fonts I was using to be larger and less dainty. Then double checked the print settings, which typically default to ink-saving. I now knew better than to cut them into individual labels to test the wear from washing. These came out great!
I had been thinking I wanted to sell these labels. No one else seems to offer anything like them. I would say the fading was on par with other printed products. The conditions in the wash seemed to the biggest factor. Other than instructing people to wash on cold and treat with care, I can’t control the effects of laundering. And the distressed look is sort of beautiful.
Various labels at various stages of testing
Clearly, though, they would benefit from a seal of some kind.
At some point, Insta-Sew friend Beth and I started braining about the paper. She had used some (sourced via Organic Cotton Plus) for various projects including blank jeans labels. She gave heat transfer vinyl a try as well as the marker tip on her Cricut(?). Both of those approaches didn’t fare that well in the wash either.
My experiments turned to the idea of a waxed coating as I discovered my sewing stash harbored a large bar of Otter Wax (essentially unused). Waxing straight from the bar proved too harsh on the printing, causing smudges where I applied too much force.
I asked Google for input on waxing paper and found an “alum method,” which seemed to have potential. It’s essentially a hot mixture of alum (a pickling agent), castile soap, wax, and water that you can dip paper in.
Alum and castile soap from Walmart
messy, messy, duh
I saved the solids.
Long story short, this was very messy and left a white residue (which I think is the soap) , so I scratched this off the list.
Alum method waxed label after washing
Since I was experimenting in the kitchen, I grabbed a jar of coconut oil from the pantry and slathered a few labels with it.
These labels came out of the wash with ZERO fading. [Insert the sounds of angels singing.] Though I had placed them in a laundry bag so as not to lose them in the wash. (Another uncontrolled variable!)
Sewn on jeans first, they showed more wear.
before
after washing
It wasn't until yesterday, after all this fucking around and finding out, that I discovered the paper came with a leaflet enclosed which detailed ‘general instructions + hints.' It's so very on-brand for me not to see or read the instructions. Bottomline, they recommend an acrylic-based medium to ensure lasting results.
At this point, I’ve easily invested at least $20 in paper and another $20 in various waxing supplies, and I can’t say I have much to show for it, other than some cute labels that fade a bit too much in the wash for me to feel good about selling them. It probably does make sense to put more effort into a screen printing approach (not in my skills-set) or stamped alternative. I guess I won’t know for sure until I try!
Happily accepting input in the comments below.
Edited to add!
Here's a post I meant to include with a few more options for waterproofing paper.
https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-make-waterproof-origami-2540885
Added 3/14/23-
Screen-printed labels trial run!
These were printed with Speedball Fabric Screenprinting Ink, heat -set, and washed by Stefanie Dykes, my sister!
The printing looks great. Though this process involves printing in SLC, UT and then shipping to me for hand-cutting.
Update 3/20/23-
The waxed laser-printed labels I've added to to my jeans are doing well! They take on a distressed look, but I haven't appreciated any significant fading after the first wash. The label shown below has been through several washes and been dried on high.
Final update August 2023-
The vintage-style labels my sister designed and screen-printed are chef’s kiss, as we say. Once heat set, the ink is staying true and crisp. I love that this got to be a collaborative effort among sisters, but , boy, the distance is too much! One of us needs to move across the country.
new
after washing
