Quilt Qua

Feed Sacks for Quilting

By: Penny Halgren

 Quilters have been recycling since the 1800s. Way back then,  feed and dry staples were delivered in barrels. Someone discovered that cotton  was effective for shipping – much lighter weight and easier to stack for sure.

A few companies began using cotton bags for packaging their  feed. It didn’t take long for quilters in the family to realize those empty  bags made great sewing fabric.

While not every household needed to order feed for  livestock, most did need flour and sugar. Feed sacks were used for these  standard dry staples, putting them in almost every household in the country.

When the American economy took a turn for the worse in the  late 1920s, the price of cotton dropped more. This made cotton feed sacks the most cost efficient way to package dry goods.

Many manufacturers varied the size of the bags of goods. In  1937, President Roosevelt mandated the sizes be standardized in the U.S. 

This was great for quilters, because they knew exactly what size the fabric  would be for a 10 pound bag of sugar or a 100 pound bag of feed.

               

A flour sack that is        good for quilting.

The feed and dry goods companies began to realize the  popularity of their feed sacks as cloth and began marketing their wares  differently. Instead of plain natural colored sacks, they first made solid  color sacks.

Not much later, print sacks came into being. By the early  1940s, feed sacks made up a huge amount of clothing made for women and  children.

Feed sacks were popular for making quilts, dresses, shirts, aprons,  undergarments, cloths, pillow cases and diapers   -- just about anything fabric was needed for.

Feed companies picked up on the nation’s interest in  quilting as well. Soon, companies were printing mock quilt tops on their feed  sacks.

Once the feed was gone, the sack seams could be ripped out and the  fabric that was once a sack became a cheater quilt!

Companies also printed dolls and toys on their feed sacks.  They became very popular toys to the children of that era.

By the end of World War II, feed sack popularity among  sewing and quilting enthusiasts had not dwindled, but the feed companies found  a more economical way to package their goods.

The cotton feed sacks gave way to heavy paper and plastic  packaging. The new methods were more sanitary than the cotton feed sacks, but  did not offer the fun printed fabrics.

There are still some feed sacks floating around today. They  would be of great interest to quilters interested in reproduction quilts from  the 1920s to 1940s or to anyone who just has a love for vintage fabric.

If you would like to learn more about feed sacks, Anna Lue  Cook’s book, Textile Bags (The Feeding and Clothing of America):  Identifications & Value Guide is  full of history and information about determining whether fabric is truly from a vintage feed sack or not.

Edie McGinnis has also written a book full of  valuable historical information about feed sacks called Feed Sacks: From Humble Beginnings to Beautiful Quilts.

If you want to find some feed sack treasures to call your  own, dig into flea markets, country estate sales, online auctions and vintage  fabric shops.

There are plenty of vintage shops online. As always, develop a  rapport with anyone you plan to buy from over the Internet. You want to know  you are working with a reputable seller.

Check the classified ad sections of  your favorite quilting or sewing magazines, too. Vintage fabric sellers often  advertise their goods there.

If you don’t have any luck turning up actual vintage  feed sacks, look into reproduction fabric prints at your favorite fabric store.

                     

Four flour sacks sewn together for       the backing of a quilt.	The front of the quilt.

 

Happy Quilting!

 

Penny Halgren
Master Quilter