Buy flour, make a dress
Posted: Thursday, February 7th, 2008
In the early 1800’s flour, sugar, seed, rice, and fertilizer were sold in large woven cloth bags that resourceful farmer’s wives used for dish cloths, diapers, nightgowns and other household uses. Manufacturers started offering these sacks in many different patterns and solid colors to encourage customer loyalty. It took 3 identical feedsacks to make 1 dress and a farmer’s decision to buy from certain manufacturers could be swayed by this one reason.
This is a great example of how people reused utilitarian materials to create new objects that could be used in the home. Read more about the history of feedsacks to learn more about this popular trend.