American Feedsacks: A History of Beauty and Creativity in Textiles

Curated by Renee Andre — Empire State College Student

Opening on Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The print themes of vintage feedsacks ranged from florals and fruits, to novelty and conversational prints. Solids, stripes, polka-dots, geometric shapes, border prints and many other designs were also featured in a variety of sizes and colors. Popular movies and books inspired some designs. Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel, and the 1939 film, “Gone With The Wind” is depicted in a feedsack design with different color schemes. It is sought after by collectors of feedsacks and is a crossover with collectors of “Gone With The Wind” memorabilia.

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Photograph, "Gone With the Wind" feedsack in red from Sharon’s Antique Vintage Fabrics

Photograph, "Gone With the Wind" feedsack in yellow from Quilt History article, "Feedsacks!" by Kris Driessen