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Necessity is the mother of invention (attributed to ancient Greek
philosopher Plato), and that has certainly been true during economic lean times
in our history.
That was the case with one of our most basic needs — clothing — as
well as home textiles during both the First World War and Second World War when
most of the world experienced fabric restrictions. Understandably, governments
were forced to ration wool, cotton, silk, rubber and leather because they were
needed for military uniforms, coats, blankets, tents, haversacks, gear,
blackout sheets, bandages and hospital garments, parachutes, sandbags and more — even linen for aircraft wings. Also in place
during that time were “austerity regulations” for clothing, which limited the
length (and width) of skirts, and among many other constraints, embellishments
such as full sleeves, pleats, ruffles and cuffs were abolished. That even
included allowing only one pocket per garment, and no flaps. Patch pockets were
generally banned.
People faced the same situation during the Great Depression, when
there were severe fabric limitations. And
what little fabric did happen to be available, was out of reach for most people
as there was even less money to buy it — usually none at all. So what a lucky
break it was that staples such as flour, sugar and livestock feed were packed
in highly durable cotton sacks. That versatile packaging served the practical
purpose of transporting such goods to best advantage, but ingenious women worldwide
immediately saw a far greater benefit. Those precious sacks could be repurposed
to meet their household’s fabric needs.
It was the original age of intelligent upcycling as the cotton
fabric in these bags was put to use for common household items such as
straining cloths for milk and perhaps berries and cherries destined for the
jelly jar, but also tea towels and much more. Like the resourceful female lead
in WATCHED, Rietta Nicholson and other housewives during the Great Depression, she
knew the value of adapting items for a new use in a busy, multi-purposed
household:
“The bread dough was sky high before she punched it down. She then
greased two pans, divided the dough into good-sized loaves and placed them on
the stove shelf to rise again. Going to the clothesline she folded the dry
bedding and brought it up onto the veranda. That freed the line up for the
freshly laundered sugar bag tea towel she’d used to strain the milk before
pouring it into pitchers and storing it in the icehouse.”
But far more than tea towels and straining clothes were made from
these durable cotton sacks. And so began the era of cotton commodity textile
high fashion:
Says Pieceworkmagazine.com: “Commodity textile bags—more often
called gunny, feed, or flour sacks—were frequently repurposed during the first
half of the twentieth century. Women in rural parts of the United States used
them to make clothing and home goods for their families to save money.
Manufacturers used fabric bags for chicken and rabbit feed, as well as for
human food such as flour, sugar, salt, seeds, and even tobacco. Authors Kendra
Brandes and Loris Connolly explain that women used the fabrics from these
bags—often called osnaburg, sheeting, percale, muslin, and even “chicken
linen”—to make clothing and household items including dresses, shirts,
underwear, bibs, aprons, trousers, dishtowels, quilt backing, and drapery. The
fabric wore well and was essentially ‘free,’ making it ideal for children’s
clothing, which needed replacing often.”
What makes this history even more interesting is that during the
early nineteenth century wooden packaging was commonly used to transport food and
feed staples. But a better way became possible with the invention of the sewing
machine because using fabric was cheaper and easier to ship dry goods than
containers made from wood. It would also set in motion a most welcome turn of
events that saw everyday fashions created by everyday people from feed and
flour sacks. It was a welcome change for any number of good reasons, and the
new fabric packaging carried on seamlessly, so to speak, until the civil war
interrupted the supply of cotton. That’s when manufacturers turned to India for
burlap. It was not exactly ideal for clothing of course although there were
occasions when it was utilized for that purpose, but burlap did come in handy for
an ever-resourceful public. Farmer’s found many uses for those burlap bags, from
harvest sacks, grain transport and storing seeds, to soaked burlap sacks being
used to fight grass fires — even for cleaning rags, among a myriad of repurposed
uses. Were there ever sack races before the introduction of the gunny sack?
Fast forward a few decades and given a re-established supply of
cotton, manufacturer’s packaging also upped its game with textiles that were
tightly woven for maximum strength considering that flour and sugar for example
were delivered in roughly hundred pound bags. The material had to be sturdy
which again was most welcome for its durability, and it also worked out to a
lot of free high quality fabric.
According to
pieceworkmagazine.com about the wide range of fabrics offered by bag
manufacturers during the 1910’s:“Flour and sugar bags were made from tightly woven
textiles such as percale and sheeting. They were light and soft, perfect for
undergarments, dresses, towels, and sheets.”
Commodity textile bags were a Godsend to those
struggling economically, using that material to make everything from dresses
(including wedding dresses), trousers, shirts, underclothing, rag dolls, and
pillowcases — even slings for a broken arm. Perhaps one of the most unusual
items made from a flour sack and crafted by children, was a parachute for their
cat (Jack). So we can only imagine the delight of seamstresses the world over when
manufacturers, in the spirit of cheerful cooperation, provided fabric that was
even more appealing.
Says Hastingsmillmuseum.ca: “Flour sack companies quickly caught on to the idea of
their products being more saleable if manufactured with colourful designs,
borders, fringes or even cut-out patterns for children’s clothing and toys.
Company names and logos on the sacks, which once required soaking off with
kerosene or bleach, were soon printed with water-soluble inks that quickly
vanished after one or two launderings. Typically, three sacks were needed to
create an adult-sized dress. Rather than waiting for several rounds of baking
to be finished before a sack was emptied, city housewives might dump their
flour into a kitchen flour barrel, freeing up the sacks for sewing projects.”
In addition to using the fabric, women collected the
string with which the sacks were tied shut at the factory, using it to crochet
lace for pillowcase and dresser scarf edges. Fabric and string were also used
to make handmade button jewellery.
These flour, feed and sugar sack creations were
popular for many years, when fabric was in short supply or money for purchasing
store made clothes simply wasn’t available. And just as the long-standing idiom
says that “everything old is new again” (Peter Allen and Carole Bayer Sager),
these textile sack creations are now highly collectible and “hot properties” at
antique shops and on antique dealer websites.
It’s always nice to look back at these wonderful
times. I know I enjoy it because my grandmother utilized flour and sugar sacks
to supplement the family home needs on the farm with those all-important
sieving cloths for milk and jelly juice, as well as for dish towels,
pillowcases, dresser scarves and squares for quilts. What treasured memories,
and I even have some sugar bag fabric that I’ve tucked away for a really
special project someday, probably a quilt.
I think one of the most special moments in history
associated with those flour sack days is when they were reimagined yet again in
a very special way in Belgium during the First World War:
Pieceworkmagazine,com: During World War I (1914–1918), mills in the United
States sent millions of pounds of flour to a war-torn Belgium in 49-pound
(22 kg) sacks (half a barrel) to relieve starvation. Author Loris Connolly
details how Belgians reused the bags to make simple clothing, but also heavily
embellished them with “embroidery, paint, handmade lace, and beads” and
returned hundreds of these “art flour sacks” to the United States as thank-you
gifts.”
Ahhh, the humble flour sack…
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