SUNBONNET SUE PIONEER DAY CARDS

 

I really wanted to do a little something different for the sisters I visit teach.  In the LDS church we check on each other, preferably at least once a month, and I have several sisters that I won't get to visit in July due to travel schedules. I wanted to mail them something and let them know I'm thinking about them, keeping them in my prayers and wanted it be lighthearted in a loving way.

Well, it is too late for a 4th of July something, so why not Pioneer Day ?  In Utah, July 24th , Pioneer day is a State Holiday.  Like Patriot's day in Maine and Massachusetts, or a founders day,  it is the celebration of the day the Mormon Pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley.  As such it is a holiday in the LDS culture worldwide.  People celebrate at picnics while wearing bonnets and aprons, and guys wear bandana neckerchiefs.  They play pioneer era games, share pioneer stories and remember those that opened the way west.

Back to the cards.  I wanted something simple.  And since I'm a master at cut and paste, and didn't feel like dragging out stamping supplies, paper seemed a good choice.  I looked for hand cart or conestoga wagon clip art, but they didn't have the right fun factor.  Then I ran across a sun bonnet picture, that reminded me of Sun Bonnet Susan quilt blocks.  That was something I could do. I could almost feel the light bulb glow over my head as the ideas flowed.

Finding a sunbonnet sue pattern was only a quick web search away.  I settled on a Sue from a quilt page.  There were several cuties on the sunbonnet sue page from FreeApplique.com.  I reset the printer at 85% (file, page set-up) to get a size that would fit nicely on 1/4 page card.  Then I cut up the outline drawing to give me patterns for the skirt, apron, arm and bonnet.

From my stash I grabbed 3 coordinating 12x12 scrapbook papers.

I stacked the 3 papers and traced 2 skirts and 2 aprons on them and cut them out, so I was cutting through 3 layers at a time.  The arms and bonnets I cut individually, because they have more curves.  This gave me six of each piece, two from each paper.

 

I mixed and matched the pieces to build my Sues.  Matching aprons and bonnets, or dress and arms, worked well.  But there are other options.

 

  

Once the Sues were built, I selected cardstock to put them on.  There happened to be several colors already cut to in my colored paper box.  I selected some of the lighter colors that would be easy to write on.   I glued the the apron piece to the skirt first, and tidied edges as needed.  Then I glued the shirt/apron to the card, followed by the arm, and topped all with the bonnet. 

 The boots and hands I drew in with brown marker.  I added 'Happy Pioneer Day' in my not-so-pretty writing with brown fine tip marker.  I added a few broken lines to look like stitches on the bonnet and a little loop at her elbow. Then so 'Sue' wouldn't be floating, I drew a little loop flower and some horizontal squiggles to anchor her on a ground.  Some flattened 'V's to be bird-like somethings in the upper corner completed the front of my cards.  I'm not an artist by any means, but a few well placed lines are simple finishing touches.

 

Done.  A personalized message inside and they'll be ready to mail.