Feedsack Secrets: Fashion from Hard Times

by Gloria Nixon

A quilt historian chronicles the fascinating yet untold story of feedsack quilts made in America during the Great Depression and WWII.   Feedsacks weren’t meant for anything more than their name implies until hard times changed the way people looked at available resources. In the 1930s and 40s, quilters facing poverty and fabric shortages found that these cotton bags could be repurposed into something beautiful. Manufacturers capitalized on the trend by designing their bags with stylish patterns, like the iconic gingham.   In Feedsack Secrets, quilt historian Gloria Nixon shares the story of the patterned feedsack with research culled from old farm periodicals, magazines and newspapers. Along the way, she reveals how women met for sack-and-snack-club fabric swaps; there were restrictions on jacket lengths, hem depths and the sweep of a skirt; and feedsack prints and bags played a part in political contests, even accurately predicting that Truman would win the 1948 presidential election.

Genres: Quilting

147 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 2, 2010

Reviews

[Jonni Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful history of a unique textile type

Gloria Nixon gathered together a comprehensive sampling of advertising, swatches, news articles and other primary resources into an interesting survey of a truly original moment in history. We get a glimpse into a socioeconomic era that illustrated the hardiness of humanity under duress. The major target of the printed textile derived from a need for scarce resources such as fashionable and utilitarian clothing was women who frugally used what the feed and grain manufacturing industry offered. The feed and flour sack fabric became a booming industry for a while. Excellent reference book as well as a fun read.

[Nora Olmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page turner…

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A small book that packs a lot of information, filled with color illustrations of emphemera and fabric, Feedsack Secrets proves that the history of the feedsack is more interesting than you'd think.

Nixon presents research on the man who conceived of the 'dress print bag' as a way to drive sales, a departure from the typical marketing of flour. We learn about 1930s gingham sacks, pastel and calico prints;1940s novelty prints; Feedsack cartoons; the feedsack dressed 'Susie Q', winner of the best Dressed Fowl of 1950; patterns developed for feedsacks; 'backprint' dolls; and 1950s prints including Walt Disney characters. I especially liked reading about the political uses of the feedsack in the 1948 election and the story behind the Pappy O'Daniel novelty flour sacks. Nixon includes a bibligraphy arranged by chapter.

I enjoyed this concise history.

[Claudia Cheyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a sewing and quilting enthusiast I was aware of brightly printed cloth feedsacks but I have a much greater appreciation for their role in American history after reading Gloria Nixon's informative book. She begins with the first patent filed in 1924. We learn about the companies who packaged their products in fabric bags and how they advertised and marketed them. There are newspaper articles, comics and stories pertaining to the sacks. It was especially interesting to discover how a Presidential election outcome was predicted by farm folks purchases of Democrat or Republican designated bags. I think just about anyone would enjoy this small but fascinating book.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

brings back a part of my past. remindes me of feedstores ,
country living, and grandparents.