Way-Back Wednesday - 4

For this week's installment of Way-Back Wednesday, I would like to share a darling Sunbonnet Sue quilt that my grandmother made. It is most likely 50 or 60 years old.

This is a long twin-size quilt that was either made for my mother or one of her sisters. The fabric used in all these dresses were leftovers from the dresses Grandma made for Mom, Aunt Nancy and Aunt Margaret. And, too, for little Becky, who died at age 2 from pneumonia.

The Sunbonnet Sue is another of Grandma's specialties. (I mentioned in last week's Way-Back Wednesday installment that the Lemoyne Star was a specialty.) She made all the great-granddaughters either a pillow or a wall-hanging with a Sunbonnet Sue. She also has made her share of Overall Bills, as well; each of the great-grandsons has a Bill pillow.

This little Sue has on a dress made from fabric that is very old. I recognize it from one of the quilts in Grandma's old trunk. (See tab at top of page labeled 'Grandma's Quilts.') When she could, Grandma would buy fabric of the same pattern in different colors for Aunt Nancy and my mother, the two oldest children. This is one of those fabrics, making it somewhere in the vicinity of 75 years old - the fabric, not the quilt.

This Sue's dress fabric is even older. This fabric was also used in other quilts (see same tab). Grandma pointed it out as the very first dress she made for Aunt Nancy when she was a baby. It has held up well!

Are you noticing Grandma's fabulous quilting? She is masterful with the needle and thread! Those stitches are always small and even. I have heard her remark several times over the years that she wouldn't make a quilt that wasn't done well. She took a lot of pride in her work, that's for sure. She has intimated that her mother-in-law's quilting was a lot less than desirable; I think Grandma took great pains to always quilt as perfectly as she could.

Sweet, aren't they? I am glad Grandma gave me this quilt, and I am glad that it has remained in such good condition. It is definitely a treasure!

Happy Quilting, Friends!