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Sewing on name-tapes

(50 Posts)
watermeadow Sun 30-Aug-20 13:54:49

I’ve spent the whole morning at this horrible job. Grandson’s uniform cost about £500 and the name-tapes are available only from the official supplier at £1 each. They are HUGE. Grandson’s name is quite short but double-barrelling is popular so Olivia- Mae Thingummy- Whatsit’s name would run up her sports socks from heel to thigh.
This is our local comprehensive school, an academy so they make up their own daft rules.
I wonder how Olivia-Mae’s mum, who’s never sewn on a button in her life, is managing this fiddly job?

tanith Sun 30-Aug-20 14:07:07

You can order iron on name tapes very cheap from amazon. As long as they are on that should be good enough. I wouldn’t be sewing them on sorry.

Galaxy Sun 30-Aug-20 14:10:13

Yes I have 2 boys in school and havent sewn any name labels on for years, used to use iron on ones, but now we can order uniform with initials already sewn in.

ExD Sun 30-Aug-20 14:11:58

I was lazy, I doubled each one over to form a loop, and sewed it on along the short edge. 5 or 6 stitched and your name tape was fastened.
No one ever objected.
I also scrimped by having both childrens' names on each tape - eg. Mary Smith John. Cut off the 'Mary' for John's tapes, and cut off 'John for Mary's.
We were very hard up at the time.

Grannynannywanny Sun 30-Aug-20 14:16:15

Another vote for the iron on ones. The ones I use survive intact in a care home laundry. Same company does adhesive ones which are very handy for personal belongings. I couldn’t face sewing such fiddly little things

grandMattie Sun 30-Aug-20 14:23:07

Olivia Mae's mummy probably has loads of minions - nanny, au pair, etc. - to do the job for her!

Callistemon Sun 30-Aug-20 14:41:11

I did the same as you, ExD, ordered name tapes for the DC, with the surname in the middle and a child's name either side. Even more lazy, I just folded one name under ! But I did sew all the way round.

It was practical.

ninathenana Sun 30-Aug-20 15:50:15

This was always my job as DD hates sewing (I'm not keen either)
I wonder how their father is going to cope now him and DD are seperated and he has declared himself in charge of everything school related smile

GrannyLaine Sun 30-Aug-20 15:56:15

Out on a limb here, but it's a job I love. Beaver and cubs badges too. I find the rhythm of neat hand sewing very satisfying. Iron on tapes just don't cut it for me.

Susan56 Sun 30-Aug-20 16:21:00

I was really surprised when DD ordered sew on name tapes for DGD last year and would willingly have helped sew them on but she did them all.She also ordered adhesive name labels for lunch box etc and shoe labels.I think the uniform cost so much she was determined not to lose any.

When my girls were at school,it was much cheaper to buy a larger quantity of name tapes.I still have some unused ones in my sewing box for each of them!

greengreengrass Sun 30-Aug-20 16:25:26

Also I do confess at having got away with an indelible pen on occasion otherwise known as a laundry marker and then

just written the name on the already existing blouse etc marks and spencer label whatever

or even on occaasion on the back of the collar of the polo shirt/inside their shoes etc

greengreengrass Sun 30-Aug-20 16:26:02

and the STILL lost their school coat three times in one year...
sigh...

geekesse Sun 30-Aug-20 16:31:35

I went to boarding school. Three words still make me want to cry, half a century later: ‘Cash’s name tapes”.

jacq10 Sun 30-Aug-20 16:36:52

geekesse - Think my DD would agree with you. I still have her laundry bag with her name and number on it!!! Many a name tape I sewed on over the years.

trustgone4sure Sun 30-Aug-20 16:38:51

I used to glue the name tags on,made life so much easier.

GrannyGravy13 Sun 30-Aug-20 16:51:44

Lazy Gran here I use an indelible pen, always have even when my children where in private schools.

SpringyChicken Sun 30-Aug-20 17:11:10

I used to sew them on with the sewing machine and quite enjoyed doing it. One thing was certain, they never fell off.

RedRidingHood Sun 30-Aug-20 17:53:35

I still have lots of name tapes bought 20 years ago when DS1 started school.
I soon got fed up with that and just wrote names on with a Sharpie. It takes ages to wash out and saves hours of faff.

25Avalon Sun 30-Aug-20 17:58:19

1 bought myself a laundry pen and wrote the names on the wash labels/ makers labels inside the garment. Laundry pen marks don’t come out in the wash. My dd now doing same for dgd who starts school on Tuesday. She is 4 today.

GrandmasueUK Sun 30-Aug-20 18:02:06

I'm such a bad mother. I was a single parent and became a teacher at my children's school. For two years my daughter's coat still had the name tape of the child whose hand-me-downs she wore! I also had 'O' level needlework, but just couldn't be bothered!

geekesse Sun 30-Aug-20 19:44:53

GrannyGravy13

Lazy Gran here I use an indelible pen, always have even when my children where in private schools.

If we didn’t have Cash’s name tapes, or even if we did but they were not sewn in to the housemistress’ satisfaction, we were put in a house detention and had to spend the time sewing them in ourselves. My family were overseas, so my uniform was delivered directly from the school outfitters to the boarding house, which meant I always had to sew my own labels on. We had a very extensive uniform list and every individual item had to have a label (a pair of socks was two labels).

When my kids were at school, I’d rather lose and replace clothes than sew in labels.

Illte Sun 30-Aug-20 19:50:58

We have an unusual surname so I just had that printed. Then when the clothes were passed down to the next child I didn't have to replace the name tapes!

Witzend Mon 31-Aug-20 10:22:51

I inherited my MiL’s sewing basket ages ago - there’s still one of youngest BiL’s name tapes in there - he’s 63 now!

I don’t mind sewing so have lately been sewing good old Cash’s woven name tapes on to little Gdd’s new uniform - she’s going into year 1, didn’t need it in reception. There’s not too much though, little pinafores, polo shirts and a couple of cardigans, plus a summer dress or two in case it’s a warm September.

Marydoll Mon 31-Aug-20 10:29:13

I have just spent ages sewing on DGD's for starting school.

I ordered loads of colourful woven ones when she started nursery, as clothing kept going missing and DIL is not very practical. There are enough to do until she leaves secondary school methinks! grin
I quite enjoyed it, as I felt I was contributing to getting her ready for starting school and DIL certainly didn't complain!!!

Oopsminty Mon 31-Aug-20 10:29:16

My mother decided she wasn't going to be sewing any name tags on our uniform. She never sewed anything actually. She used a biro and wrote on the label in the clothes.

I did the same with mine and they have all followed suit with their offspring.

Not had any complaints yet smile