Weedwoman

I remember walking the mile to the feedstore with my grandmother and asking the owner to please save 'this' one when you come to it. It was chicken feed in them and we never made him move those heavy bags but he sure saved them for us and we had some lovely dresses made from feed sacks. My mom made us matching sundresses once, took quite a few sacks.

MillieH

So wonderful to read from the many friends my age (I'm 67 now) about their feed/flour sack clothing. The Depression and War years meant we appreciated whatever we got, and we were from way out in the country--no stores other than the one General Merchandise/Feed/Grocery store. My grandmother made me beautiful dresses from these sacks. A neighbor friend scorned my sack clothing. Her mom could afford to buy her dresses from catalogs (but not many, and her mom couldn't sew, either). I wasn't hurt by that. My grandmother could look at those in the catalogs and make tne dress for me from the fabric (feed sacks or whatever) she had on hand. I knew who was best dressed and that my dresses were made with love, not ordered from a catalog. Those catalog dresses weren't so well made. One rough day on the school playground and their seams were ripping and the lace trims were hanging. HA!

I now have my grandmother's treadle machine (still works!) on which she sewed all these wonderful dresses, slips, panties for me back in the 1940"s.

Weedwoman

That really pulls at the old heartstrings. I'm 64 and I treasure every memory from those times. I'm so happy that my grown grandsons ask me to sew things for them, all kinds of things from ipod cases, a rifle sleeve, mending jeans that should be in the rag box, quilts or anything else they need or want cause they know I will do it I can.

MillieH

Weedwoman--I identify. My two boys (now 38 and 40) think I can do anything on a sewing machine--all sorts of magic!

The youngest has twins (boys) due any day now. I've done all sorts of projects for the nursery. Would I not want to to? Definetly not!!

My older grandchildren who live far away, save projects for me or mail them to me. They call me "Mil," and they think their Mil can do anything!

When my oldest granddaughter, oldest son's daughter, was 4, some years ago, I'd made the dress she wore as junior bridesmaid at the wedding of my youngest son. The morning after, my DIL called my motel room to tell me to watch out the door for her to come to my room. She was so upset. She'd gotten strawberry stains on her dress at the reception. Her mom told her she could get the cleaners to get the dress clean. Nothing doing on that. Her "Mil" (me) had made her dress, and she was sure I was the only one who'd know what to do. So--here she comes with her dress over her arm, so upset about the stains. What did I do--just took it and sent it the cleaners. Grandchildren are such special joys!

Annz

Great find. I would wash one of the fabrics and see if the holes wash out.

Olivia's Grammy

Great find at the thrift store. I have about 800 feedsacks and about 100 flour sacks. The flour sacks are smaller and of finer woven fabric. The holes will not wash out, nor will they close up. The holes are how you can tell they are real feedsacks. The last bunch of sacks (125) I got were so dirty and stained that I washed one with the towels with bleach. The color was so much brigher that I went back and wash all most all of rest with hot water and bleach. I make quilts, wall hanging and I've started making Olivia some dresses with the feed sacks. I have some of the same ones you have. I have the 3rd, 5th, 7th and the bottom one. Some of the sacks I only have one, and some sacks I have as many as 7 alike. They are fun to collect and use. I have a few I've been thinking of selling on this board.

luvTooQuilt

Great find!!! way to go...

GailG

My grandfather and his sons and one daughter owned a general merchandise store. My aunt managed the "front" of the store. That was where the fabric, patterns, notions were. Also the shoes -- children's, ladies', men's -- both dress shoes and work shoes and boot; men's work clothes (khakis, denims); lingerie, costume jewelry, household small appliances (I still have the rice cooker I purchased there in the early seventies -- and I still use it.), hats -- ladies and men's; dishes, glassware, pots and pans; men's dress shirts and pajamas. There were a few pieces of unfinished furniture (chest of drawers, etc.), refrigerators. Then in the "warehouse" were the sacks of feed, tools, and things like paint, etc. They sold groceries, metal awnings -- installed; one of the "boys" delivered coal and kerosene to those who needed it for heat.

This thread has brought back so many memories of my little sister and my cousins and me sneeking into the warehouse to climb and jump on all of those pretty sacks. Yes, and as mentioned before, we wore items made from these sacks.

zz-pd

Have fun with your new fabric, and God bless. Penny

Brenda Retzlaff

I remember my mom making our dresses from feedsacks. She must have cut off the part with the holes. They are from the stitching to hold the bags together. Lucky you...what treasures you found!