A Sweet Sunbonnet Sue Needle Keep with Penny Rose Wool!

Welcome to my stop on the Penny Rose Wool L♥ve Blog Tour!  I am thrilled to share my little project today!

I've been wanting to re-do a little needle-keep I found stashed behind the drawer of an old treadle sewing machine cabinet my husband purchased a couple of years ago.  It's a tiny little 4" x 5" Susie.  

Here is a picture of the original:

Sunbonnet Sue first made her appearance in quilts in the late 1800s!  Read a little bit of the history of this playful little girl in a big bonnet HERE.

And here she is, all dressed up, remade with modern fabrics and notions, and ready to keep all my pins and needles handy.

I added a little wool roving between the layers of her bonnet for a pincushion, then blanket-stitched around the edges.  I continued the blanket stitch around the edges of her skirt front and back because I like the look, but I could have left the edges plain.  To embellish, I used a little wool trim with a few French knots on the bonnet, a bit of mini ric-rac on the underskirt, and a little gathered flat lace with a button to make a cute teeny bouquet.  Pull back the skirt and the pins and needles are underneath.

With that little bit of stuffing in the bonnet, I can use it as a mini pincushion!

Don't you love her?  I couldn't just make one! 

For this version, I used a couple of tools to help me cut the wool:  my AccuQuilt die cutter to cut out the little flower, and a Wave blade in my Olfa cutter to trim the underskirt.

Want to make one, too?  Download the PATTERN << from my website.

Need a review of some simple stitchery techniques?  See some basics on a couple of my previous tutorials over at Cutting Corners for Riley Blake Designs:
  Stitchery Primer (French Knot, Stem Stitch, etc)

  Edge Finishes (Buttonhole & Blanket Stitch)

Penny Rose Fabrics is a sister company to Riley Blake Designs.  Penny Rose fabric lines give that feel of days gone by with a focus on historic and vintage reproduction prints.  These new wool solids  coordinate perfectly with their prints.  

Penny Rose Wool bundle

Check out their fabric lines at www.pennyrosefabrics.com for more vintagey goodness, then ask for them at your local quilt shop.

Be sure to visit all these lovely, creative ladies on the tour:

March 14 - Madame Samm of Sew We Stitch

March 15 - Cori Blunt of Creativity Amongst Chaos

March 16 - Deonn Stott of Quiltscapes << Thanks for stopping by!

March 17 - Darci Schipnewski of Pastthyme 

March 18 -  Crystal Delaney of The Clever Quilt Studio

March 21 -  Carol Swift of Just Let Me Quilt

March 22 - Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter

March 23 - Leonie Bateman Designs

March 24 - Julia/Riley Blake Designs Blog

March 25 - Kristl/Penny Rose Blog

March 28 - Remona Gopaul of The Stitching Scientist

March 29 - Sachiko Aldous of Tea Rose Home