Flour Sack Fun

A large, heavy woven cloth flour sack that exclaimed Ben's Top Patent Enriched appeared a long, long time ago on the Facebook page for The Reclaimed Cottage in Brookfield, NS. You know I had to have it with Not-So-Little PurpleBoots being a "Ben" and all. Without even seeing it I sent my cousin in to grab it one day on her way to work in Truro fearing I would miss out on it if I waited to find the time to go get it myself; Brookfield is a bit of a hike from here. If memory serves, I think I paid 35 bucks for it.

Once at home close inspection revealed a good sized tear in the back, but it was in decent shape otherwise...it had some minimal staining, some ancient crusted flour was still present on the inside but it was definitely a score in the "vintage find department" as far as I was concerned. With no real purpose in mind though, it was laundered and joined the big pile of "stuff-I'll-find-a-use-for-someday" in the closet of doom.

Long before the flour sack came home to roost I had purchased a couple 20" down filled pillow inserts at IKEA on a road trip to Ontario in 2013. These got stuffed in the cupboard that holds (some of) my stash in the sewing room. Pillows never make the top of my priority list despite Sister PurpleBoots constant attempts to encourage me. She LOVES cushions.

Clearly the stars aligned today and these 3 objects of good intent became a midday project.

The flour sack required some imaginative repairs. There were a few holes that I "darned" with a fancy honeycomb stitch on my Pfaff and the long tear got stabilized with a patch on the underside and a couple rounds of stitching, both straight and of the darning variety. Those weak spots aren't going anywhere now! Because I liked the look of the soft tattered fibers surrounding the tear I've left them there...my pillows, my preference.

I cut the big text block out first (19" squares were the sacks limit), which left the small text at the bottom of the bag too short, so I just tacked on some off the back to make it big enough. I inserted the zippers with plackets that hide them...so simple to do but look amazingly complicated, I know. One of the zipper plackets even showcases the original top hem of the bag...I just couldn't bear to cut off that beatiful heavy stitching.

How flippin' adorable are these? I am in love...and guess what? I don't even like throw pillows! (surprise, surprise.)

All this fun for a couple hours work AND I am happy to have reclaimed some space in that tall cupboard. The Stashpocalypse isn't dead. Those 2 pillow forms left quite a dent. Kinda makes up for all that shopping I've done, doesn't it?

Kinda?

Maybe?