Printed Feed Sacks

 

Good morning!

Today I'm going to chat about feed sacks again.  I know most people consider PRINTED feed sacks  fabric as a big part of sewing during the Great Depression.  Plain sacks were often used to make articles of clothing, quilt backing and even quilts.  Women dyed the sacks at home.

1936

It might surprise you to know that the prints we ascribe to feed sacks weren't made until the later part of the 1930s.   In the mid 1920s, there were gingham feed sack bags used by one company but the real prints came later.   The  Percy Kent Bag Company printed the first set of bags in 1936 or 1937.  

When I was looking at my printed feed sacks, this fact really hit me.  Many of the colors reminded me more of the 1940s and 50s.  Once the printed feed sacks hit the market, there were even swap meets during the 1940s where women could get more of the sacks they wanted:

There were all kinds of contests, fashion shows, and pamphlets that inspired women to use their feed sacks.

1949 Fashion Show

And a 1959 contest winner:

Here are some of the best online features on feed sacks that I thought you would enjoy:

From Piecework Magazine (here)

Take a tour through the International Quilt Museum here.

Have a safe and happy day!