Fabric Design
When Moda Fabrics invited me to curate a line of quilting cottons inspired by feed sacks, I was delighted. Like many quilters, I adore the patterns and prints of original feed sacks. But my fondness extends beyond the visual appeal of those cotton bags to an appreciation for the resilience and resourcefulness of the women who used them. The idea of contemporary sewists following in their footsteps, stitching clothing, curtains, and quilts with those same prints, creates a connection that holds deep appeal.
30s Playtime
Whether gathering round the radio to listen to Big Band music by Duke Ellington, watching a movie starring the pint-sized Shirley Temple, or simply playing a game of Drop the Handkerchief, folks in the 1930s found ways to enjoy life, despite challenging times. The favored fabrics of the era brought cheer to everyday life, too; imagine red plaid curtains, pink and purple floral potholders, and scrappy quilts made from dressmaking leftovers. These 30s Playtime fabrics in saturated pastels and primary shades will bring cheer to you and your home, too!
Feed Sacks: Good Works
The 1940s-era pamphlet Sew Easy with Cotton Bags declares “Good works? Your good works can be just old-fashioned neighborliness spread out. Things you can give and do for others—things that can’t be bought.” That’s as true today as it was then, and big-hearted quilters share their good works to celebrate new babies, birthdays, and first homes, as well as to comfort folks experiencing illness or loss. The fresh colors and vintage-inspired florals of Feed Sacks: Good Works are perfect for raising the spirits of friends and strangers alike. And in the process of creating and sharing your good works, your own spirits will get a lift, too.
Morning Light
In the heat of midsummer, I love to wake early and get out into the garden at dawn. I gather gardening gloves and a trowel and amble across the lawn as the morning dew dampens my shoes and makes spiderwebs sparkle. I’m there to pull weeds, but I also pause to sip my coffee, listen as the stillness is punctuated by bird calls, and glimpse the light through the rustling leaves.
Whether it’s glancing up as the rising sun silhouettes the massive walnut trees or looking down to discover ants parading along the flagstones in a tidy line, these early mornings give me time to think and to breathe. These feed sack-inspired fabrics bring those moments to mind, when the world is quiet and the garden reminds us there is beauty every day.
Flowers for Freya
Even during challenging times, women of the feed sack era made beauty part of their everyday lives. Whether they filled a jam jar with snapdragons and sunflowers and set it on the windowsill, embroidered a pair of bluebirds on a potholder, or chose just the right colors from an overflowing scrap basket to stitch into a quilt, mixing something lovely into the humdrum of daily life sparked their creativity and lifted their spirits.
And so it does today. Now, more than ever, glimpses of beauty can remind us of all that is good in the world. Flowers for Freya fabrics are based on feed sack prints and are perfect for creating items—bags, zippered pouches, dresses, and of course, quilts—that will lift your spirits and those of the people you love, making everyday moments a little brighter. “Happiness held is the seed; happiness shared is the flower.” John Harrigan
Flour Garden
Gardens during the feed sack era were practical—planted with foods to sustain a family during hard times. But even when life was challenging, there was always room for beauty. Along with rows of cucumbers, tomatoes, and potatoes, flowers grew. Iris, morning glories, hollyhocks, and daisies filled backyard borders and vases on kitchen tables.
Flour Garden evokes that era of taking the time to add a handmade touch—rickrack on a dishtowel, a bit of embroidery on a bib—on the busiest of days. And whether you use it to stitch quilts, skirts, or tote bags for the farmer’s market, you’ll be sewing your own seeds of artistry and springtime abundance.
Feed Sacks: Red Rover
On a summer’s evening, sunlight filters through a canopy of oaks and elms as children gather to play games. Red Light-Green Light, Simon Says, and of course, Red Rover. Their calls ring out as the grown-ups gather on the porch, enjoying time to chat after a long day. Most of the women are stitching, the baskets at their sides filled with scraps of the feed sacks they’d sewn into curtains, aprons, and the clothing worn by their spirited children. Now those scraps will become quilts, both fancy and plain, to warm their families and friends.
