Sunbonnet Sue Sunday #20

Even once a month, Sunbonnet Sue Sunday comes round so quickly for me. This is post #20 and we have two left before the completed quilt will be shown.
Remember the original magazine that Mom's quilt came from?

The year was 1988.

I want to start this post with a photo of my great grandmother's bonnet. I think it is quite unusual. It is very simply made. Cardboard is inserted int he strips to stiffen it. I was very very small when she died, but I do remember how she looked in it. Her face did not show unless you looked directly at her from the front and mostly if she looked up at you as she was a very short woman. Remember this was a time when grandmothers wore long dresses, dark hose and flat lace up black shoes, a broach and an apron. Small glasses sat on her nose and her hair (which you could not see when she wore her bonnet) was slicked back and placed in a small bun at the nape of her neck. My grandmother's aroma was one that came from the kitchen. It was a woodsy, smokey smell mixed with whatever she was cooking that day whether it be cinnamony or meaty, no matter, it was a wonderful smell.
She didn't have to bend down at all to pat a child and only lean to whisper in her ear. I remember brushing up against her skirt and pulling it to get her attention and the fabric was soft and silky to the touch and I am sure it was because it had been washed about a million times and scrubbed on a washboard and put through the ringer--litterally!!!. I did not mean to draw this out so long, but to tell you the truth, I got all wrapped up in memories. My SBS pattern on the sidebar was inspired by this bonnet above.

The pattern below is one included in the magazine. A pattern based on the earliest SBS drawings. It is probably my favorite--I hope it is new to you. I may have included it in a previous post. If I did, I am sorry, but it won't hurt you to look at it again as it is really d-a-r-l-i--n-g!!

This is a great one included in the book. Is she looking down or away? I never can figure that out~~~

Thisone is simple and looks like it could be paper pieced. Were quilters paper piecing in 1988? A question for another day.

The above is a quilting pattern that is meant to be used in alternate blocks or a border. Great pattern, don't you think?

OK--now on to the good part. It's October, it's Fall, it's the month for falling leaves, cooler weather and, yes, the spookiness of Halloween. A time when it is OK to dress as something or someone else and eat all the candy you possibly can.


IT'S OCTOBER NOW, YES IT'S TRUE

WHAT DOES THIS TIME MEAN TO YOU?

COOLER DAYS, COOLER NIGHTS

BUT LET ME TELL WHAT MAKES IT RIGHT

BUY SOME CANDY, BUY IT ALL

AND LOVE TO HAVE A POPCORN BALL

SNICKERS, SUCKERS, CANDY CORN

MOTHERS LOOKIN ALL FORLORN

TAKE THIS PUMPKIN IF YOU PLEASE

CARVE IT OUT WITH EXTRA EASE

GIVE IT A FACE, A CANDLE TOO

MAKE HALLOWEEN A REAL TO-DO.

Fro newcomers, this the October block of Mom's SBS Quilt which will be shown in completion in December's SBS Sunday Post. I will also be give the directions for the setting of the blocks. If you make a SBS block, send me a pic. I would love to post it. If you blog you pic, I will feature it on my blog. Just let me know--

THANKS FOR VISITING MOLLY'S PLACE. I AM NOT POSTING AS OFTEN AS I WAS FOR AWHILE. MY MOM IS IN THE LATER STAGES OF ALZIEMERS NOW. SHE IS STILL AT HOME AS WE HAVE HELP NOW. MY SISTER IS BATTLING BREAST CANCER. PLEASE COME BACK AND IF YOU HAVE A DESIRE, FOLLOW ME AND HOPEFULLY I WILL BE POSTING MORE OFTEN SOON. I AM FINDING A LITTLE MORE TIME TO QUILT NOW AND MY YOUNGEST SON, WHO IS BUILDING A HOUSE AND LIVING WITH US UNTIL IT IS FINISHED, WILL SOON BE MOVING OUT (WITHIN THE MONTH) AND THAT WILL GIVE ME EVEN MORE TIME, HOPEFULLY. LOVE YOU ALL--

LATER----

Sunbonnet Sue Sunday #15

Round Top Texas--a giant outdoor Art/Craft/Junk weekend. My sister and I went and I took pictures of several Sunbonnet Ladies and Little Girls that I found. Below is an embroidered apron.

Then this is a portrait style lady--isn't she beautiful?

This was a spread. It seems to be painted on Chimis? It was absolutely beautiful. She was displayed hanging on a wall with twinkle lights behind the see through fabric.

This is just a typical simple SBS.
As is this--with lovely fabrics and more detail and embroidery. This was a 4 block wall hanging and was priced at almost $200.

This little girl has a face, but I think she is just precious and unusual. I have not seen her before, have you?

Pat was gracious enough to allow us to see a recent SBS project that she finished as a result of a class. The pattern used: Umbrella Girls by Betty Alderman. I so appreciate Pat taking the time to contribute to my now monthly SBS posts. She has been a loyal patron to my site. The quilt graces her sewing room and rightly sew! It is a jewel and a constant reminder of Sue's quilt status and of Pat's quilting talent. Please visit A Little of This and a Little of Pat and I guarantee it will be time well spent.

Mom's April block--Well, just as the typical month of April - Mom's SBS block depicts it's reputation for being wet.

Sue started her morning by picking out the prettiest dress she had in her boudoir. You see, Spring is in the air and Sue is ready for a day of the outdoors and plenty of Sunshine. Mother warned her that rain is expected, but Sue is absolutely certain that she is wrong. No rain this day as it is her special day. A walk in the park will result in her meeting of her beau, Bill. BUT WAIT! A few drops are starting to fall. Good thing she wore her Bonnet!!!

Happy Sunbonnet Sue Sunday to you. I did not yet have time to finish this post. I wanted to post a few patterns from Mom's vintage magazines that I feel I can share with you. I will post them next week. My trip and the weekend has caused me to be behind. Of course I have had an entire month, but if it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done. Thanks for visiting and be sure to sign up for the free magazine subscription, followers!!!

Sunbonnet Sue Sunday #14

A Rose by any other name is still a Rose? Right?

What if the name of the Rose is Sunbonnet Sue--That's right! A little trivia to start this monthly Sunbonnet Sue Sunday post. Sunbonnet Sue was also the name of a 1945 musical starring Gale Storm that was typed as a farce.

A Sunbonnet Sue Flickr group boasts 257 uploads. If you have some free time, you can spend some of it there. You will see crafts and quilts devoted to the star of this post.

I found a free quilt pattern here that includes the two darling patterns on the right. The Sam is one of the cutest I have seen. He is a little chunky guy. BTW--I found that one other author is cited as a source for the faceless children. Bernhardt Wall's characters were published about the same time as Bertha Corbett's. His girls wore a different style of bonnet and no aprons. Also, it is in Mr. Bernhardt's work that we first find a male character now known as Overall Bill. This article by QNL is excellent and gives the best complete history of SBS that I have found. If you are only going to read one, this is the one.

Marti Mitchelle offers us this free pattern over on her site HERE.

The March winds are the inspiration for Mom's Block of the month. No Shamrocks or excessive bright green, or Leprochans or pots of gold, thank goodness. Just a high wind and a homemade kite. I think her dad helped Sue make this kite and her mom provided rags for the tale. Her bonnet is tied on tightly so as she won't lose it. Her bonnet is worn on this day because her mother told Sue that if she does not wear her bonnet her hair will blow and become entangled . Sue does NOT like to sit for hours in front of her mother as she detangles her long locks. Mama put her hair up today and positioned the bonnet just right so that it helped hold her hair underneath to prevent tangles. It so happened that dad found the time to help Sue launch her kite today. Her dad took the kite from her and began to run with it. Sue tried to keep up, but was becoming so tired when suddenly dad let the kite go-----up----up----up it went. High in the sky. The tale was turning and twisting and flopping in the wind as the kite went higher and higher in the bright blue sky. Dad handed the stick with the kite tied to it to Sue. She just stood there with the sun shining down on her face as she locked her eyes on the kite. What a wonderful day today is. A beautiful day, a wonderful kit and great day with daddy. Sue will never forget this day---never.

SUNBONNET SUE SUNDAY #13

I have discovered some wonderful free hand embroidery patterns this week. Some bloggers post wonderful vintage patterns and allow you to download them. Go to Needlecrafter for far more patterns than you would want to download. You may just want to "bookmark" the site. The link is for a free Sunbonnet Sue and Sam pattern.

A Vintage Collection is a fantastic blog where many many vintage patterns are free for the taking. The pattern below is available there (this IS a SBS post, ya know! ;D). This is only the complete image. Visit the site for the pattern pieces.

If you have little girls or are a little girl at heart, please go to THIS SITE and print off the most darling let of paper dolls. These pictures would also make an adorable paper quilt. I can imagine a little girl carefully cutting out the pictures and gluing them into a design on paper and making her first quilt.

PENNY SQUARES--Do you know what these are? Go here to see a set. They are based on the SBS of 1905. Great Buy! Penny squares were small squares with simple embroidery designs stamped onto them that could be purchased for 1 cent. They were often used to teach young girls stitching skills. They were very popular around the turn of the century and continued through the 1930s. There are also some cute quilts here and more. It is the Sunbonnet Sue Blog.

There is also a post HERE about a comment by Alex Anderson saying when she made a Sunbonnet Sue quilt just check her into a home! Go HERE to read the whole story.

Ruby Short McKim is a famous designer of "Penny Squares". You can see and purchase her designs HERE.This is one of her SBS designs.

Also, just FYI, all of Ruby's pieced patterns from her book 101 are free on her grandaughter's website here.

My mother owned this book. It was originally published in 1931 by McKim Studios. She was a self-published author. Such dedication and self confidence amazes me. Mother's copy was republished in 1962. It is falling apart worn!

The comments on this series of posts has really fallen off. I am thinking of changing the posts to every 1st Sunday of the month. I could do a better job with the research and also have time to post about other things. If you are really enjoying the posts, but not commenting, please leave me a quick opinion of the subject.

SUNBONNET SUE SUNDAY #7

Well, it's the 7th week of SunBonnet Sue Sunday. Refreshing your memory, I said I would post the block of corresponding month of the Calendar quilt that starting this whole thing at the beginning each month. If you want to read all the previous posts on SBS, click HERE (read from the bottom up).


But first,let me say that one thing I have learned since the beginning of my research on SunBonnet Sue is that she was and is every woman. She takes on the personality and talents of whoever the designer is (or maybe it's her own will !). The will say, do, or be anyone you desire her to be. Visit HERE to see SBS skinny dipping, reading PlayGirl, or depicted as Lizzie Borden complete with AX. I am just amazed.
BELOW IS THE MAGAZINE THAT MY MOTHER USED TO MAKE HER CALENDAR QUILT. It is dated April 1988 and called STITCH "N SEW QUILTS. In this issue is also an article intitled



The Everywoman of the Quilt World, Sunbonnet Sue

The Author is Jean Ray Laury. She makes SBS a QUIlTER! She is All signed up for class. She conquers the materials list but forgets her iron, her books and her new checkered fabric. She'll have to "make do". She also unleashes her creativity by dressing her husband in her patchwork. He is SOSOSO cute. She enjoys her new hobby, but family needs will always come first. When she finishes eight more quilt blocks she will feed the baby and defrost the roast. All of these illustrations were from a series of books called The Adventures of Sunbonnet Sue. They are selling now USED for $100 and up.

One of the best articles that I have read and gives oh so much information from beginning to now is one printed by Quilters Newletter. Find the article here complete with links to great SBS quilts and patterns.

Mom's Calendar quilt block for January is not a block I would say is appropriate for Texas in January. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------But then, what would depict a Texas January that does not depict just about any other month of the year?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------You might say snowmen?----NNOOOOO!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bare trees (Hey--we do have those!)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I could try to keep you guessing, but it is so late---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I think I'll tell you now -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------that Mom's Sue is learning to Skate!-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I

SEE YOU SOON, NEXT SUNDAY FOR MORE SUE, BUT HOPEFULLY THERE WILL BE MORE POSTS IN BETWEEN. CHRISTMAS IS OVER AND MAYBE I CAN FIND SOME MORE TIME FOR QUILTING AND POSTING. MY MOTHER IS DOING FAIRLY WELL FOR ALL WHO HAVE BEEN CONCERNED, BUT SHE IS NEEDING MUCH MORE OF MY TIME--THEN THERE IS MY LITTLIST COWBOY. I CAN'T MISS A MINUTE OF HIM. HE WEIGHS ALMOST 7 LB. NOW. HIS MOTHER SAID HE ROLLED FROM HIS BACK TO HIS STOMACH YESTERDAY! HE WAS ON THE SOFA RIGHT BY HER AND SHE SAW HIM. SHE SAID IT SCARED HIM TO DEATH. HE WAVED HIS HEAD AND ARMS AND SCREAMED! MORE LATER GIRLS--YOU ARE THE GREATEST!!

SUNBONNET SUNDAY#5

The following is a picture of a letter from Bertha L. Corbett explaining the beginning of her Sun-Bonnet Babies, complete with drawings of them followed by a transcription:

Dear Mr. Grover,

It is a great pleasure to know that the Primer is soon to appear. To me it is always a joy to see an effort completed. You ask how the Sun-bonnet Babies originated; well, they began their career as a joke and They seem to have gone on their way creating smiles, ever after.

There once was a studio, with three young women in it. One painted on china and one sketched in water color and in ink. One day a characteristic head was up for inspection and one of the three said, "Well, it's all in the face, The character, "I think that it not always so" said the skether and thereupon drew, with a few lines, a baby in a bonnet trudging along, and for decoration effect she carried a hugh 4 leaf clover. This undoubtably is the reason why all the babies were healthy, happy, lucky, and wise.

The idea developed and the children grew more interesting all the time, as children so, until I am almost amazed at my family. It is a sincere pleasure to feel sure that my little people make real little boys and girls happier. The work is it's own reward.

Very Cordially Yours,

Bertha L. Corbett.

Bertha's designs were the most popular of all Sun-Bonnet designs. They were printed overth thing from postcards to stationary and textbooks. She is also famous for her Dutch Cleanser design which is still being used today.

Sun Bonnet Babies Primer was illistrated by Bertha Corbett, but the words were the work of Eulalie Grover.

Follow this link to see some of her earliest water color drawings.

This is one of Miss Corbett's first drawings of the girls. Do you know their names?

Now I know why I like the one with the blue dress and pink bonnet--her name is---------MOLLY! The other ones name is----May! Here are a few words from the first Primer:

"I am May. See May's sunbonnet. It is my sunbonnet. Do you see May ? Do you see the Sunbonnet Baby ?"
"I am Molly. This is my blue dress. See my pink sunbonnet. I am a Sunbonnet Baby. Who are you ?"
Visit here to see the Eulalie Osgood Grover Collection.

The quilt at the top of this post was made by my mother of 1030's feed sacks. These sacks were acquired by my mother from an aunt of hers after she passed away. I still have some of the scraps. Here are a few close ups of the blocks.

Sorry for the blurry pictures--I was in a hurry. See you next week for Sunbonnet Sunday #6.