5.10.2008

feedsacks

A couple of years ago I started a group (Feedsacks) on Flickr to catalog some of the 15,000 existing patterns of feedsacks. This was a project I started on my website (you can see it here) beginning with swatches from my growing collection of feedsack cottons. Then I got busy with other things and the whole thing got set aside. There's really no way I could ever get all of them anyway.

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Lately, a few people have discovered the group and asked to join. And I've decided to try to inject a little life into the project again. I invited a few people who already had pictures of feedsacks in their own pools (Flickr-speak for a group of photos). And thanks to those new members who accepted, joined, and shared their photos this week! Stop over and check out the photos and feel free to join us if you're so inclined.

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Some of you are probably asking "What the heck is a feedsack?" I'm not going to attempt to explain in detail because several others have done so already, and much better than I could have done. You can read all about them here:
Feedbags: From Rags to Riches by Joan Kiplinger
Feedsacks: A Tradition of Recycling and Repurposing by Kayte Terry
Feedsacks! by Kris Driessen
Feedsacks, Frugal and Fun by Judy Anne Johnson Breneman
Collectible Feedsack Cloth and Quilts: the Past Revisited by Patricia Cummings

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The feedsack examples shown here are some of my personal favorites. I love the large scale florals in bright colors, but there are plenty of patterns for everyone whether you like small-scale florals, stripes, polkadots, geometrics, or novelties. And about that 15,000 number—according to one member of the group it's actually grown to 20,000! Oh well, what's another 5,000?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh you have me wanting to start a collection. They are beautiful. What a fun group.

Waterrose said...

Oh this is wonderful! I have actually emailed with you, probably in the early-mid 90s, when I lived in Ohio, about feedsack cloth. I am also a collector and probably have around 700 bags. I have not been able bring myself to cut any of them. I have moved to Arizona and find very few here, but did find quite a bit in California on various trips.

Tamar said...

I wish I had some feedsacks to contribute, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying looking at and reading about them!

Anonymous said...

These are totally FAB! I have seen the word 'feedsacks' before and always wondered knew i would love it, but didn't know what it meant!

I tried to join the Flickr group, but didn't see a 'join' button--my flickr name is irwjc.

janet said...

Jen, I can only invite people who add me to their contacts. I've already made you a contact but you have to make me one of yours, too.

But, there should be a join button down at the lower right side. I changed the membership so that anyone can join.