Fabric Historian, Kendall DeBoer will introduce you to the colorful world and history of Feed Sack. Though feed sacks may seem like a niche material novelty from decades past, recent years have seen an uptick in d.i.y.-makers once more repurposing these fabrics to create fashion-forward, creative, sustainable works of wearable art.

Appealing for their soft cotton feel, their often-vibrant colors and unique fade lines, their interesting and sometimes bizarre graphic prints, and of course, their rarity, feed sack fabrics are not only collectors’ items, nor only found in faithful recreations of 1930s garments. In fact, the beginning of 2020 saw a wholly new function for feed sack remnants: fabric masks. Alongside masks, feed sacks, flour sacks, antique napkins and other linens find themselves repurposed in patchwork fabric garments in contemporary, geometric, unisex silhouettes. Other designers repurpose feed sacks that have previously been used in quilts. Creating sumptuous swing jackets, robes, and baby-doll dresses, these makers extend the lives of the meticulously hand-sewn feed-sack quilts that had been discarded.

In crafters’ continued fascination with the mesmerizing and surreal colors and designs found in feed sacks, they demonstrate the lasting aesthetic power of the material. At the same time, these makers create one-of-a-kind garments, oftentimes from salvaged fabric pieces, imbuing their works with care and an ecological consciousness.

This program will coincide with the Central Library's Thrift Style exhibit that will be on view from May 15-June 20.

This program will be given through Zoom and is for anyone interested in sewing and has an interest in vintage fabric. You can register here:
https://calendar.libraryweb.org/event/7589258