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Sunbonnet Sue has been an icon in the
quilting and embroidery world for more
than a century. Her demure bonnet and
conservative dress belie a fascinating
history, persistent and enduring nature,
and a dash of revolution and
resistance.
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While "sunbonnet
baby" quilt patterns
existed in
the 1800s, I'll begin Sue's
story at the beginning of the 20th
century. Two talented
women, Bertha Corbett and Eulalie Osgood
Grover, teamed up as
a writer and
illustrator for Sunbonnet Babies
Primers. Sunbonnet Sue, along with pals
Fisherman Fred and Suspender Sam, became
charming illustrations in schoolbooks
and taught little ones how to read.
Sunbonnet lore tells us that Corbett had
a dispute with a friend; her friend
claimed that facial features were what
brought a painting or illustration to
life. Corbett disagreed, and kept her
sunbonnet babies hidden in oversized
bonnets and hats. |
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A school
primer with illustrations
of Sunbonnet babies |
People fell in love with Sue's sweet
temperament, her ever-present bonnet,
and the wholesome and good-natured
vignettes of her everyday life. Soon Sue
was found on postcards, greeting cards,
and even became a design element on
plates and dishes.
Her chunky features proved to be
enticing for hand quilters and stitchers,
and so Sue became preserved for all
eternity in a quilt block. In the early
1900s she appeared in the
Ladies Home Journal and Woman's
World magazine as well as countless
newspapers and pattern magazines. During
the Great Depression, Sue surged to
popularity, as folks yearned for
brighter and sunnier days.
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Sunbonnet
Sue's popularity took a hit in the '70s
and '80s as some quilters dared to
shout, "Not all of us love Sunbonnet
Sue!" A group of quilters in Kansas,
known as the Seamsters Local #500, worked on a
controversial quilt that came to be
called, "The Sun Sets
on Sunbonnet Sue." The current events
and social unrest of the time are
depicted in the blocks of that quilt.
Sue is pictured at Jonestown, Three-Mile
Island, eaten by Jaws, tied to train
tracks, struck by lightning - her death
is represented over and over again in
applique quilt blocks. The original
quilt is now in a museum at Michigan State
University.
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The original
"Bad Sue" quilt.
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This
original "anti-Sue" quilt gave birth to
others, and today you can see Sue
beheaded by a guillotine, run over by a
bus, put to death by the mafia, or being
just plain naughty by coloring on walls
and stealing art from a gallery (shown
right).
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Many
quilters love making
"Bad Sue" blocks.
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Although
Embroidery Library has been making
designs since 1998, our first Sunbonnet
Sue quilt pattern wasn't released until
2005. In
this applique design she's
traditional, appearing as she has been
portrayed for decades. And, then, as we
learned more and more about Sue and her
fascinating history and contribution to
needle arts, we fell in
love
with the little girl in the bonnet, and
gave her a lifetime of fun and frolics
in the form of new designs. |
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Embroidery
Library's first Sunbonnet Sue design is
traditional, and applique. |
In January 2010 we began a Year of
Sunbonnet Sue, and every week Sue and
her friend, Fisherman Fred, appeared in
different scenes and settings. They
rode
tricycles,
picked apples,
visited Hawaii, even
traveled to Japan! And as the year
progressed, we saw wonderful projects,
and heard great ideas for new Sue
designs, from talented stitchers
everywhere. Here's a small sampling of
the fantastic Sue projects that have
appeared in the Stitchers Showcase (and
there are plenty more in the queue that
will be featured in upcoming months!).
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Throughout 2010
we heard wonderful requests and ideas from
folks about new things that Sunbonnet Sue
could do. Those requests culminated in an
entire design series released at the end of
2010, filled with colorful and creative
designs featuring Sue and Fred doing
everything from
dancing the flamenco, to
walking on the moon.
Meanwhile, with
just a simple typo (someone keyed an "i"
instead of a "u"), Sunbonnet Sue's evil twin
sister was born: Sinbonnet Sue. Niamh
O'Connor, the art director of
Urban Threads, composed new designs
featuring Sue in some not-so-traditional
scenes and situations.
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You'll find those alter ego designs at
www.UrbanThreads.com, including the
seven deadly Sinbonnet Sues (anger,
envy,
gluttony,
greed,
lust,
sloth, and
vanity), as well as
steampunk,
ninja,
vampire, and
zombie. They're a fun, alternative twist
on an old favorite. |
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Find Sinbonnet
Sue designs at
Urban Threads! |
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2010 was a
wonderful year for all of us at Embroidery
Library - in large part due to our
exploration of Sunbonnet Sue and her
history, as well as seeing your projects and
hearing your ideas of what Sue could do. We
love to see how you've incorporated Sue and
Fred into your stitching projects. Email
photos of your projects, as well as any
details and information that you'd like to
share, to
stitch@emblibrary.com.
So long, Sue, and fare-thee-well, Fred! Happy
trails to the both of you!
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