Have you ever purchased a quilting tool and then had it patiently waiting for its turn? 😊 That was exactly the case with my AccuQuilt Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Sam fabric cutting dies. I bought them last year and finally had the chance to pull them out and create a quilt. I’m so glad I did because this project was so much fun!
For the clothing, I reached for several of my Island Batik Stash Builder Sets. I love using these bundles because they have such a wonderful variety of coordinating prints, making it easy to mix and match outfits for Sue and Sam. For the background, I chose Island Batik White, and I added black sashing to frame each block. The black really makes the colorful batiks pop!
One of the nice bonuses when purchasing these AccuQuilt dies is that they include free embroidery files to finish the raw edges of the appliqué pieces. The embroidery gives each piece a clean, polished look without a lot of extra effort. If you like even more decorative stitching, AccuQuilt also offers additional embroidery designs that can be purchased separately.
Since I knew I wanted a little more variety, I decided to create mirror images of both Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Sam. That way, some of them face left and others face right, which gives the quilt a much more natural and balanced look.
After cutting all of the pieces, I sorted different combinations for the outfits before heading to my Janome embroidery machine. A tiny dab of fabric glue held each piece in place while the embroidery machine stitched everything down one piece at a time. Watching the designs come together was definitely one of my favorite parts of the project!
Once all of the embroidery was finished, I trimmed every block to 9½” square.
Here is a video of all my blocks.
https://youtube.com/shorts/Wfa_FlZUnjI?feature=share
The black sashing and outer borders were cut 2½” wide, and I really love the way they frame each block while tying the entire quilt together.
Now for one of my favorite parts…the quilting!
I had previously purchased the Sunbonnet Sue and Sunbonnet Sam pantograph designs from Quilting Pantographs, and this quilt seemed like the perfect time to use them. Using Grace QCT6 software, I combined both designs into one edge-to-edge quilting pattern so both Sue and Sam would dance across the quilt together. It was so much fun seeing the quilting add another layer of personality to the project.
The quilt finished at 46″ x 54″, making it a wonderful size for a wall hanging, a lap quilt, or even a special gift.
I’m really happy with how this quilt came together. It was a wonderful combination of AccuQuilt dies, Janome embroidery, beautiful Island Batik fabrics, and computerized quilting. Sometimes it’s worth waiting for just the right project, and this one was definitely worth the wait!
Have you made a Sunbonnet Sue or Overall Sam quilt? I’d love to hear if you’ve used these dies or added your own creative touches. Happy quilting!
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Lisa's Quilting Passion 