Various feedsack manufacturers produced a range of cloth toys from the 1930’s onwards. The toys were printed on both sides of the cotton bag and could be cut out, sewn together and then filled with raw cotton or something similar. These toys fall in various groups, such as the Rodkey’s Rag Darlings (1937 onwards), the Sea Island Sugar Dolls (mid-1930’s) and the Southern Flour Mills (1930’s) dolls, including the ‘Sailor Boy’. In addition, some companies produced Santa’s stockings and other seasonal fare.
Another popular group of objects in this group were the small bed quilts used for dolls. These were seen as a good method of using up small scraps, while teaching girls how to make quilts, an essential skill for many households and housewives.
Feedsack household items
A wide range of objects around the home could and was made from feedsack cloth. Many of the booklets list items such as curtains, pillowcases, table cloths, pan holders (pot holders), peg bags (clothes pin bags), laundry bags, and of course quilts of many different types.
Popular items included household towels, which ranged from coarse burlap items with stripes, to finer flour forms. The latter were often embroidered with simple motifs. Some of the designs were pre-printed onto the cloth by the manufacturers. On other occasions women would use a series of commercially available transfers. Some women, of course, simply drew designs of their own creation and artistic preference onto the cloth.
