One Sue, Two Sue, Old Sue , New Sue

After many years of quilting I have finally made my first Sunbonnet Sue block.

This Sunbonnet Sue is very much a country cousin.  This is my Malaga 1937 friendship sampler quilt.  On the left is Mary McWilliams's block and my copy is on the right.  I have been putting off making this block but when I had no others left I had no choice.  It actually was a quick block to make.

Sunbonnet Sue is an old girl; embroidery patterns for a sunbonnet girl existed in the 1800s.  The design we know as Sunbonnet Sue probably came from a popular children’s illustrator in the early 1900s, Bertha Corbett.

In 1902 author Eulalie Osgood Grover and artist Bertha Corbett teamed up to create a new series of learning to read primers called The Sunbonnet Babies.  Babies May and Molly and their friends Fisherman Fred and Suspender Sam became very popular and the characters appeared everywhere.

The babies grew up and, somewhere, somehow, became Sunbonnet Sue.  The pattern was well known in the 1920s and stayed popular through the 1930s and 1940s.  Sue was bright and cheerful and she had no tricky face to applique (although her hands proved to be slightly challenging).

This Sunbonnet Sue may be hiding a secret.  Don't look under her bonnet, judging from her skeletal fingers she may be one of The Undead and her bonnet may be hiding a zombie.

Miss Mabel Taggart and Mrs. Sam Boswell are, very wisely, keeping their hand in their pocket.