When I first started meeting other people who knew how to quilt, they would always give me the same advice. When you're done making a quilt, label it. At first I thought they meant for selling quilts, so that buyers knew the brand. No, they explained. Every quilt you make, put when you finished it, the creator, and the recipient. I've added onto this the verse or meaning of the quilt.
Above are three examples of quilt labels. The Romans quilt was a gift for God, and has 'for Jehovah Nissi' stitched on it. It also has 'Shalom' stitched on it, as the title for the quilt. It has my initials and the date completed. The Isaiah quilt has the verse, my initials and the date. On those two quilts, I stitched the information and then whipped the panel onto the quilt. On the Ezekiel quilt, I stitched the verse straight onto the quilt on one corner, and then my initials and the date on the other corner (not pictured).
Why do we do this? I asked the people who told me to label my quilts this question. They had the benefit of many years of experience; many of them had quilts that had been given to children and were now passed onto grandchildren. And still, they still say who made them and when. It's leaving your legacy on the quilt. When I'm long gone, these quilts will be in the hands of my inheritors. I won't be there, but these will be a physical reminder of my life.
Proverbs gives us wisdom about legacies:
"A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous." (Proverbs 13:22 TLV)
Here, Proverbs is first referencing worldly wealth. A good parent leaves money for their children and their grandchildren when they pass on. They leave their estate and any personal belongings. They need to make sure that their children are provided for if they're gone. It has a spiritual meaning too. We have to leave spiritual inheritances for our children, passing on what blessed our lives into theirs, like Elijah and Elisha. When we go, our mantle passes on to our children, and then our children's children. We need to ensure our strong spiritual life carries on to them and further generations.
Labeling a quilt is just one small way of leaving a legacy and inheritance. I can put my initials, and they know who made it. I put the date, and they know when. I put a scripture, and now my faith is carried on this quilt. Memories others have of me will be carried on these labels, but so will the Word of God.