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Delightful Sunbonnet Sue Quilt Patterns to Bring Sunshine to Your Quilt

The sunbonnet sue quilt pattern is one of the most iconic and recognizable quilt block patterns. What started as a simple illustration has grown into one of quilting’s most beloved motifs. Sunbonnet Sue may be a familiar sight on vintage quilts today, but her journey to fame was anything but straightforward.

In the late 1800s in England, artist Kate Greenaway first depicted the character, though her original design was rather elaborate. Soon after, Americans Bertha Corbett and Eulalie Grover introduced the world to the Sun-Bonnet Babies – charming children dressed in oversized bonnets. By the early 1900s, Sue had shed her frills to become a basic redwork design. But it was in the 1930s that she truly came into her own. With the Great Depression in full swing, quilters embraced her easy applique pattern as the perfect way to use scraps. Sue’s cheerful face soon appeared everywhere – brightening quilts, tablecloths, even clothing.

Today, Sue continues inspiring modern makers with her quirky charm. Whether in traditional or contemporary designs, her smile remains a nostalgic symbol of quilting’s past and present.

Key facts about Sunbonnet Sue quilt pattern:

• The design got its start in the late 19th/early 20th century as a representation of innocence and nostalgia for childhood. It depicted a typical little farm girl of the era.
• It became enormously popular and was featured in many quilting and needlework books in the 1930s-50s. This helped spread the pattern across the United States.
• The basic block shows a girl’s face within the sunbonnet, with her dress and usually arms extending below. Additional details like flowers or basket are sometimes included.
• Fabric placement and piecing vary but most involve nine patches or four patches to construct the bonnet, dress, and other elements. Light and dark fabrics are often used to bring out the details.
• Entire quilts were made using just the Sunbonnet Sue quilt block, either in repetitive grids or more intricate settings. It’s also often used as a corner or border block.
• To this day it remains one of the most beloved vintage quilt patterns due to its nostalgic, nostalgic appeal. Modern quilt makers continue to be inspired by its simple charm.

The History of The Sunbonnet Sue quilt pattern

The sunbonnet sue quilt block pays homage to a timeless image through traditional piecing and careful fabric placement. Its popularity endures because of the happy nostalgia it evokes. Generations of quilters have found joy in stitching this iconic girl and her sunbonnet into their quilts. In the mid-20th century, Sunbonnet Sue truly became synonymous with the quilting tradition. She could be found decorating quilts across the United States.

As quilting trends have evolved, Sunbonnet Sue has remained a constant. Her nostalgic charm never grows old. Whether in reproduction fabric prints or new interpretations, this little girl in her bonnet continues to captivate. Modern quilt designers have embraced putting their own spin on the classic block as well. You’ll find Sunbonnet Sues pieced with boldly printed fabrics, given whimsical embellishments, or reimagined on a miniature scale.

Through the decades, countless quilts stitched with love and featuring the smiling face of Sunbonnet Sue have warmed homes and hearts. Her image has been passed down through generations of quilters, ensuring her place in quilt history is forever cemented. She’ll always be remembered as one of the quilting world’s most beloved figures.

Her simple yet enduring design is a testament to the power of nostalgia. Even today, nearly 150 years since her debut, Sunbonnet Sue remains a popular choice for both vintage and modern quilters. Her charm shows no signs of fading with time.

In recent years, the Sunbonnet Sue block has inspired new creativity as well. You’ll find her reimagined with modern fabrics in fresh colorways. Quilters have experimented with new layouts like mini Sue landscapes or intricate medallion patterns. She even pops up in non-traditional quilted items like wall art and home decor.

Sunbonnet sue quilt patterns

Vintage Sunbonnet sue block

Assemble a lovely quilt with many of these sunbonnet Sue blocks that have a light background and a mostly pink girl with the characteristic sunbonnet over her face, a matching long dress in the same color but a different fabric pattern, a slightly lighter apron, and brown shoes.

by Quilterscache

Sunbonnet sue doll cushion

Turn your pillow into a miniature work of art with this amazing pillowcase that features a white background with a frame made of two pink vertical strips and two colorful horizontal strips, a round sun and green grass on the background, with the main motif of a lady in a pink dress and a blue apron, a red sun hat covering her face, and two heart balloons in her hand.

get the free pattern HERE

Sunbonnet Sue,Calendar Girl

Here come two slightly different patterns that you can combine or use individually, one that has a girl who wears a hat over her face, a long dress, an apron, and tiny shoes, while the other pattern has Bill, her friend who wears overalls and also has a hat over his face.

by frommarti.com – download on shopify

Umbrella girl – Sunbonnet sue quilt block

Here’s a quilting block that has a beautiful depiction of a girl wearing a fabulous Victorian dress that has short blue puff sleeves and a matching berthe, a white corset bodice with a matching long skirt section, and decorative long draped fabric flaps on her hips that match the berthe in color, as well as a blue and white sunbonnet on her face, and a matching umbrella in her hand.

by Lakesidestamper

Sunbonnet Sue and Sunbonnet Sam

This one’s a treat because it’s seven different quilting block patterns in two sizes each, giving you a total of fourteen sunbonnet Sue blocks that all have an adorable miniature girl or a boy as the main motif that sit or stand, and have a hat or a bonnet over their face, depending on the block in question.

by Freeapplique

Little Balloon Girl – Sunbonnet Sue Applique Pattern

Decorate your creations with this cute applique pattern that has a presentation of a girl who faces to the right and wears a white sunbonnet with red wavy lines across it, a spotted gray and white dress with short puff sleeves, a wide long skirt section, and little red shoes, complete with three balloons in different colors in her hand.

by Freequilt

The Parasol Lady – Sunbonnet Sue Pattern

One of the more adorable sunbonnet Sue quilt patterns, this block features a girl in a Victorian Era kind of dress with a brown berthe and short off-the-shoulder sleeves, a yellow bodice, a skirt with a red lattice pattern across, a brown ruffled bottom hem, a yellow sunbonnet over her face and a brown umbrella over her shoulder.

by Freequilt

Sun bonnet Sue Quilt Block

13-1/2×12″ Sunbonnet Sue block.

Here’s a simple but beautiful quilting block you can incorporate in almost all your future quilts, a plain white background with a little sunbonnet girl that has a red hat over her face, a matching sleeve on her hand, a matching small foot under the dress, and a blue flared dress.

by Allpeoplequilt

Sunbonnet Sue bed quilt and decorative pillows

Brighten up your guest room with a lovely set of pillowcases and a big quilt that both feature sunbonnet Sue blocks paired with white and pink half-square triangle blocks and hourglass blocks on the quilt, and diamond blocks and diamond frames on the pillowcases, also in pink and white combinations.

by Freepatterns

Sunny Sue Baby Quilt Pattern

Here comes a splendid baby quilt that has a colorful outer frame and a white background, then a 3 x 3 grid inside that frame that consists of blocks that have green and pink sunbonnet Sue blocks facing left and right with thin green and pink borders around each block.

by https://www.accuquilt.com/go-sunny-sue-baby-quilt-pattern.html

Qube 8″ Sunbonnet Sue Bows Quilt Pattern

Play with triangle pieces and sunbonnet Sue blocks as you use this pattern to sew a quilt with a 4 x 3 grid of blocks with the characteristic girls inside, alternating between Sues with yellow hats and red dresses and vice-versa, with fun frames around each block and octagonal serrated smaller frame inside them.

by Accuquilt

Sunbonnet days of the week

You can decorate your works of art or create entire quilts with these gorgeous seven different designs of sunbonnet Sues that represent each day of the week, as well as the elegant lady’s activities during those days, with some designs showing her spread the laundry, some showing her knit, some that show her while she does embroidery, and similar.

by Knitting-and

Sunbonnet Sue by the door

This block shows a classy and detailed depiction of a sunbonnet Sue that has a pink bonnet with a lace edge and a bow on her head, a long wavy pink dress with a floral design, blue sleeves, a big blue bow behind her waist, and a lace berthe on her chest, set on a dark background with a wide strip on her right that has a vertical presentation of plum trees in bloom.

by Ops.dti.ne

Sunbonnet Sue Visits Each State in America Ideas for Blocks

The Sunbonnet Sue in America project involved creating 52 blocks of Sunbonnet Sue, each representing something unique about a selected state. While not a traditional swap, the blocks were imaginative and showcased various activities and landmarks specific to each state, such as New York Sue with the Twin Towers, Pennsylvania Sue with an Amish quilt, and South Carolina Sue weaving a basket. Each block depicted something special about the chosen state, making the project diverse and creative.

Show love and respect to the states with this lovely set of different blocks that have sunbonnet Sues on them in settings that show the characteristic environment of each of the 52 states, producing a fun and creative presentation of the travels of the little charismatic girl through the United States.

by SMWpratt (on webarchive)

Through digital patterns and tutorials, Sunbonnet Sue has spread her appeal worldwide. Quilting communities online share their own takes on the timeless icon. Her smiling face continues stitching people together across borders, generations, and eras.

It’s clear the nostalgic nostalgia of Sunbonnet Sue will ensure her place in the quilting tradition for many more decades to come. As both a reminder of quilting’s past and a wellspring of ongoing creativity, she remains integral to the craft’s history and future. Her legacy is woven not just into fabric, but into the hearts of quilters everywhere. Much like the quilts she decorates, Sunbonnet Sue has become a cherished part of our quilting heritage.