Beautiful Quilts from Humble Beginnings
Edie McGinnis explores the history of feed sacks, discusses their importance in times of need and war, and displays more than 600 examples of feedsack prints. Book tells how to reproduce antique quilts such as Ozark Cobblestones, Flower Pot, as well as some newly made quilts using old feedsacks and reproduction prints.
Feed Sack Time Line
- Late 1800’s:
The first use of fabric sacks can be traced to the early 19th century, when small farmers strapped a sack to the back of a horse to take their grain for milling. The first commercially produced sacks were made in the late 1800s of osnaburg, a coarse white or brown cotton, and were stamped with a logo or label. - 1920’s:
It was in the 1920’s that manufacturers realized the potential of the cloth sack decoration to promote sales, by persuading the farmer’s wives to purchase specific brands. One of the first to do so was the George P. Plant Milling Company (in St. Louis, Missouri), which started in 1925 to produce a range of brick red gingham cloth sacks under the trade name of ‘Gingham Girl Flour’. Due to Gingham Girl’s popularity they went on to produce Gingham Mother, Gingham Baby and Gingham Queen in different colours. - 1930’s:
Charming printed fabrics developed, used during the Depression for clothing. According to the Textile Research Center, a bag that contained 100 pounds of sugar provided provided slightly more than 1 yard of material. At the industry's peak, 1,300,000,000 yards of cotton fabric were used in commodity bags; in 1946 accounting for 8.0% of the cotton goods production and 4.5% of total cotton consumption in the US. - 1940’s:
During World War II, dressmaking-quality fabrics became in short supply as textile manufacturers produced for war efforts, and cotton yard goods were rationed but feed sacks were considered part of the "industrial" category of uses, so feed sacks were still available. - 1950’s:
Cheaper paper sacks introduced. National Cotton Council sponsors sewing contests. After World War II, use of cloth sacks for packaging declined and was replaced with less expensive paper. - 1960’s:
Fabric bag manufacturers add TV characters to prints to save their industry. Most feed sack production ceased by the early 1960s. - Late 1960’s:
Paper sacks replace fabric sacks
Revival - 1930s Reproduction Fabrics
Reproduction fabrics patterned after prints from the 1930s recreate the cotton feed sacks in which flour and grain were sold during the Great Depression.
Quilt stores today carry a selection vintage 1930s reproduction fabrics with feed sack prints. Many reproduction books and patterns are available for quilters to recreate quilts and carry on the traditions of a long but not lost era.
Resources
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