I’ve recently started going to antique malls. I am looking for an end table that can double as a sewing spot. A couple of months ago, I found a beautiful, old sewing box for $25, and the same booth had a Sunbonnet Sue quilt from the 1930’s. The box wasn’t in the best of shape, and it wasn’t what I wanted for an end table, but the quilt was beautiful. Still, I convinced myself that I didn’t need either one. Two weeks later, I found myself still thinking about them. I went back and bought the sewing box.
I looked at the quilt again, but left it there. One week later, and I am still thinking about that quilt! I love Sunbonnet Sue. Even when she hasn’t been popular, I have still proclaimed my love for all things bonnet-girled! So I figured if I couldn’t get it off my mind, then I was meant to have it, right? Of course, right! A week later, I went back and bought the quilt. And I am so happy that I did! I’ve had it for about a month now, and every time I look at it, I smile. I don’t know if I got a “good” price on it or not, but for me, it is worth every cent I paid!
This is a hand-quilted beauty. She was loved and used, but not to the point of tatters. There are a few open edges, especially at the top:
but only one spot on the front that has a couple of tiny tears:
The hand quilting is beautiful, but not perfect (and only about 4-6 stitches an inch):
There are a few stains, but nothing that really detracts from the beauty of the quilt:
Also, in the above photo, you can see that the maker was probably dealing with not quite enough of the light pink fabric, and may not have had a big enough piece to make the borders, since they are pieced. Or maybe they were added just to make the quilt bigger. There are four borders on each side, but only three on the top and bottom
Did you notice what she used for batting in the photo of the open edge? First of all, the quilt does not have a traditional binding; it appears to have been folded inward and hand-sewn shut with an overcast stitch.
I’ve never seen that before, have you? And the batting is a flannel sheet, or what I grew up calling a “sheet blanket”: a loosely woven, thin flannel sheet with serged edges, that we used in the winter in place of a top sheet. This kept the blankets and quilts from needing to be washed as often. I’m guessing this quilt was used as a summer quilt, or maybe a winter quilt just a little farther south than where I bought it here in North Texas.
The embroidery on the blocks themselves is astounding!
All the sunbonnet girls are exactly the same pattern. The only thing that changes is the fabric of the dresses and bonnets and the stitching of the blouses and frills under the dresses. But can you see how tiny those little outline stitches are? And the satin stitched hair curls? Maybe this was why I kept going back to look at the quilt in the shop, and why I ultimately brought it home.
As is all too often the case, there is no hint of who made this treasure, where it came from, or what lucky little girl loved it. I just know that I am lucky to have it now! Here are a few more photos for your viewing pleasure:
