I actually own a set of those books! And this brings up so many memories of my grandmother making me a couple of dresses out out of chicken feed sacks, too. In about 1958 or a little later. I even still have some of the material she used and found some more at a vintage fabric site on Etsy, might even have enough to make a blouse now. I actually saw flour still being sold in lovely fabric sacks when we lived in Tehachapi, CA back the early 1980's. Don't remember if I actually bought any as it came in 50 pound bags!
I can remember going with my grandfather to purchase chicken feed when I was a kid. He used to tease me later about taking so long to decide what I wanted. A lot of umm-ing and maybe-ing until I made up my mind. I was going to wear whatever I selected for a long time, so I wanted to be sure I got the right stuff.
Not too long ago, I bought some fabric to make doll dresses that simply "spoke" to me. When I did the dishes that night I realized it is a mini version of the fabric used to make me a dress back in the day. I still have a tea towel from the remnants of that dress.
I don't know what they used for feedsacks - probably 100% cotton, come to think of it - but they last forever! When I was pregnant with my fist child, my grandmother gave me two matching feedsacks to make a maternity top.
They were - are? - one square yard, so they'd have meant some fiddling to make anything larger that a dress for a four year old child. I was born in 1942, just as WWII was getting underway, so those bags were a blessing to keep me from going nekkid.
I find that a lot of older patterns (pre-1960) offer cutting layouts for 36 inch wide fabric. You'd certainly have to use up a lot of flour to get the # of sacks needed for a dress for the average adult woman, though.
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I actually own a set of those books! And this brings up so many memories of my grandmother making me a couple of dresses out out of chicken feed sacks, too. In about 1958 or a little later. I even still have some of the material she used and found some more at a vintage fabric site on Etsy, might even have enough to make a blouse now. I actually saw flour still being sold in lovely fabric sacks when we lived in Tehachapi, CA back the early 1980's. Don't remember if I actually bought any as it came in 50 pound bags!
I can remember going with my grandfather to purchase chicken feed when I was a kid. He used to tease me later about taking so long to decide what I wanted. A lot of umm-ing and maybe-ing until I made up my mind. I was going to wear whatever I selected for a long time, so I wanted to be sure I got the right stuff.
Not too long ago, I bought some fabric to make doll dresses that simply "spoke" to me. When I did the dishes that night I realized it is a mini version of the fabric used to make me a dress back in the day. I still have a tea towel from the remnants of that dress.
I have a feedsack tablecloth and some remnants that I found at a church thrift store that look as though they might be from feedsacks.
Somewhere in my mess of a sewing room, I think I also have a booklet on how to make things from feedsacks.
I don't know what they used for feedsacks - probably 100% cotton, come to think of it - but they last forever! When I was pregnant with my fist child, my grandmother gave me two matching feedsacks to make a maternity top.
They were - are? - one square yard, so they'd have meant some fiddling to make anything larger that a dress for a four year old child. I was born in 1942, just as WWII was getting underway, so those bags were a blessing to keep me from going nekkid.
I find that a lot of older patterns (pre-1960) offer cutting layouts for 36 inch wide fabric. You'd certainly have to use up a lot of flour to get the # of sacks needed for a dress for the average adult woman, though.
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