A bonusproduct
Lifewashardformanyfamiliesandnothing
thatcameintothehomewaswasted.Feed sacks
wereusedtomakenecessitiessuchastowels,
curtains,handkerchiefsandevennappies and
menstrualpads.Appreciatingthatthebags were
a valuablecommodity,goodsmanufacturers
madetheirbagsmoredesirableby,forexample,
printingembroiderymotifsontothem(see below)
orpatternsforcut-stitch-and-stu dolls.By
producinga seriesof designs,companies hoped to
retaincustomers’loyaltyastheytriedtocollect a
fullset.
Theprint-fabricversionsthatquilterstend
toidentifyasfeedsacksweremostlyproduced
between 1937 and1963/64.Duringthat
period,anenormousrangeof designswere
manufactured– someprintedinmultiple
colourways– fromthesweetfloralsof the 1940s
throughtomid-centurymodernsandflower-
powerstylesof the1960s.“Thefabricwas good
quality,butinordertoremainattractiveto
customers,printshadtofollowthetrends of the
time,”Linzeeexplains.
It’scommonlythoughtthattheGreat
Depressionof the1930swasthebigeraof
printedfeedsacks,butthatisn’tthecase.
“TheSecondWorldWarwaswhenfeedsacks
reallyhadtheirheyday,”Linzeecomments. “It
wasconsideredpatriotictosew,butfabric was
a scarcecommoditybecausea lotwentfor thewar e ort. But as feed sacks were classified for
industrial use, they were still available and so were,
of course, very desirable.”
Appealing feed-sack prints were used to make
fashionable articles such as aprons and dresses.
Sometimes bags would be sold as ready-made
items, like the apron shown to the right. At a time
when perhaps one or two new outfits a year was the
norm, choosing the sack for your latest garment
was an exciting adventure. Linzee says she was
told delightful stories by women who remember
that, as young girls, they would go to town with
their father to select the sack for their new dress,
reminiscing, “We’d jump from sack to sack to
figure out which was the best one!”, or she’d hear
from women who recalled giving their husband a
swatch of fabric and telling him, “Go to the store
and get three more of these [sacks].”
Quilts too were made from feed sacks. Often,
whole sacks would be joined for quilt backings or
a single sack might be used make a quick cot quilt.Top lef t , This
utility quilt,
measuring
approximately
76in square, is
made using four
feed sacks. The
fabrics have
been arranged
in an enlarged
nine-patch
design. (From the
collection of Gloria
Hall); Above, A
selection of lively
feed-sack fabricsSugar sacks offering ‘Needle work for
nimble fingers’ embroidery patterns
featuring various household tasksTEXTILE HISTORY l fe e d sa c k s