Frugal to the last piece of fabric…..

Certain decades are associated with the frugal use of fabric.

I am hopelessly drawn to outrageous colours and patterns. So I had to share with you some photos from a recent event I attended. The fabrics are from the 1930’s but they have quality that still holds artistic value today, many years later.

American Depression Era Quilts were made in the most desperate of times when money was short, textiles were expensive and frugality was the name of the game.

Although it was a time money was short, colour was king….. anytime there is a depression, colour is turned up a notch or two!

Feedsack Quilts

Producers of animal feed looked for ways of increasing sales – they picked up on the demand farmers wives had for fabric and started selling chicken food in sacks made from brightly coloured fabric! This was the birth of Feedsack fabric.

frugal fabric - American Depression Era Quilts
frugal fabric - American Depression Era Quilts

 

Egg Money Quilts

The egg money the Farmers wives made from selling the eggs paid for the next round of feed – this was the starting point of Egg Money Quilts.

frugal fabric - American Depression Era Quilts

Frugal Scraps

Every scrap of fabric was used – some wedges from this Dresden Plate quilt were constructed from smaller pieces of scraps.
frugal fabric - American Depression Era Quilts

 

These are just some of the quilts from a private collection.

There are many more out there to inspire us all to make the most of what we have.

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