While it is only a little milestone it is worth noting, this is Wagner Feed post #200! I have saved a special story for this post.
Back in December my mom gave me a gift that I thought was blog-worthy both because of its beauty and also for its historical tie to the period of time that WF interprets. My mom created a quilt using the patterns from Ruby Short McKim that were first published in the magazine Farm Life in the 1930's. During the Depression magazines had to work to try to find ways to keep their subscribers on the roll. One of the more ingenious ideas was to put in special patterns that the farm wives might find useful. Ruby McKim's patterns were highly sought after so this dramatically helped finances the Farm Life magazine. Each new issue would bring the next pattern in the series. Another industry that creatively tapped into this market was the livestock feed and flour companies. Prior to the Depression, when a customer went to the store to purchase feed or flour the bags were made of plain white fabric. In an effort to lure buyers someone came up with the idea to make the sacks from decorative fabrics that farm wives might find useful. With money tight many households were forced to make their own clothes and the prospect of having "free cloth" was a big deal. To get more or matching cloth you would have to stick with the same brand when considering your next purchase. This is where the term flour sack dress comes from. Today when quilters use flour sack for material it is general reproduction fabric because the originals are so expensive. In this quilt my mom used reproductions to form the border of the quilt. Besides the historical value that the quilt has there is also an emotional value since she created it last year with my dad, and that is what makes it one of my favorite things. Thanks mom
