QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-1

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

01.0001

If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:

2001:158.1

Object label:

The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue
Seamsters Union Local #500
Lawrence, Kansas
1979
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#2001:158.1

Essay:

The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue was made by a group of quilters in Lawrence, Kansas who gave themselves the tongue-in-cheek name "Seamsters Union Local #500." They "gave into their desires to eliminate the 'goody two-shoes' in their pasts" and, with a sense of humor, created twenty blocks, each of which offers a unique way to "do in" Sunbonnet Sue, a popular quilt pattern. Many of the methods of deaths reflect current and popular culture events of the 1970s.

Excerpted from The Michigan Quilt Project: New Discoveries exhibit.

Quilt's title:

The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue

Subject of the quilt:

Multiple ways that Sunbonnet Sue met her death.

Quilt top made by:

Brackman, Barbara; Metinger, Nancy; Dwigans, Cathy; Metzinger, Laurie Schwarm; Hood, Gloria; Englinski, Georgann; Dill, Bonnie; Boyer, Patty; Kelley, Bette; Jones, Carol Gilham; Dangerfield, Nadra; Anderson, Bryan

Name of the group that made the quilt:

The Seamster's Union (Local #500)

If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?

Purchased the quilt

Where the quilt was made, city:

Lawrence

Where the quilt was made, state:

Kansas (KS)

Time period:

1976-1999

When was the quilt started?

c. 1979

When was the quilt finished?

c.1979

Why was the quilt made?

Art or personal expression

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Group

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

62

How long is the quilt?

78

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Quilt's condition:

Very good/almost new

Type of inscription:

Signature

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Seamsters Union #500 Lawrence Kansas

Method used to make the inscription:

Embroidery

Describe where the inscription was found:

Front, lower right corner

Describe the quilt's layout:

Block pattern

Number of quilt blocks:

20

Size of quilt blocks:

12x12

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Separated by sashing with cornerstones or connecting blocks

Sashing width:

2 1/8

What is the shape of the quilt blocks?

Same block throughout

Number of borders:

1

Describe the borders:

Black with white strip designs, 2".

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton; Cotton or polyester blend

Fabric types used to make the quilt top:

Velvet

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Multiple scrap

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Piecing

Can you feel or see paper on the quilt that was used as a construction aid?

no

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

2

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

Fabric structure of the binding:

Plain weave

How is the binding made?

Bias grain

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Polyester

How thick is the quilt?

Medium (3/16?)

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

6

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

6

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Outline

Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:

Twenty multi-colored applique blocks depicted Sunbonnet Sue being "done in" in a variety of ways. The blocks each measure 11 1/2" square. The blocks are set with 2 1/2" country blue calico sashing fabric and black cornerstones. The quiltmakers "gave into their suppressed desires to eliminate the 'goody two-shoes' in their pasts." The blocks are (from left to right, top to bottom): A1. Self-immolation, Cathy Dwigans A2. Dr. La Fong's Cure for Cuteness, Bryan Anderson A3. O.D., Nadra Dangerfield A4. Skylab Accident, Carol Gilham Jones B1. Sunbonnet Soup, Bette Kelley B2. Strangled by a Sunflower, Patty Boyer B3. Food For Worms, Nadra Dangerfield B4. Sunbonnet Sioux, Bonnie Dill C1. Three Mile Island, Georgann Englinski C2. Eaten by a Snake, Nadra Dangerfield C3. Mummified, Gloria Hood C4. Struck by Lightning, Carol Gilham Jones D1. Tied to the Tracks, Georgann Eglinski D2. Lost in Space, Bette Kelley D3. Sunbonnet Sue-icide, Barbara Brackman D4. Squashed by a Rock, Barbara Brackman E1. Suestown, Guyana, Laurie Schwarm Metzinger E2. Jaws III, Nancy Metinger E3. Died for Love, Nadra Dangerfield E4. Run in With the Mob, Georgann Eglinski

Where did the maker get their materials?

Unknown

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Public domain/traditional pattern

Source of the information on this quilt:

Kitty Clark Cole, donor and museum employee

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public Museum, Library, or Institution

Quilt owner's name:

Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

How was this quilt acquired?

Gift

Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:

Purchased by collector Kitty Clark Cole and donated to the Michigan State University Museum in 2001.

Details

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Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Michigan State University Museum

The quilt was made to be used for:

Artwork/wall hanging

Where did the quiltmaker find the pattern for the quilting design on this quilt?

Unknown