How To Make Vintage Feed Sack Fabric

Do you love the farmhouse look of old Feed Sack Fabrics? Here is an easy way to make your own Vintage Feed Sack fabric using a drop Cloth.

If you are like me and love the vintage feel of old feed sack fabrics, here is an easy way to make your own fabric out of a drop cloth, a stencil and paint. You can use the fabric for so many projects. I’ve used mine for re-upholstering a deconstructed chair, tea towels and pillow covers. Here is a deconstructed chair post to help you avoid the mistakes I made.

Cut your Drop Cloth

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Begin by cutting some lengths of your drop cloth. If you want a lot of fabric to look like old feed sacks, you can use the whole drop cloth. I only need a small amount, so I cut approx. a yard of fabric. Keep in mind, if you like flea market flips like myself, you may want to use the your fabric for multiple projects. If you’d like to learn more about Thrift Store Shopping, here are My 10 Tips for Success!

Let’s age the fabric to look like a Vintage Feed Sack.

If you want your fabric to look like authentic old feed sacks, you will want to stain or dye the fabric. You can use several methods for aging the drop cloth fabric, including tea, coffee and bleach. Since this project was going to be a coffee bean bag, I used instant coffee to dye the fabric.

First, add a small amount of coffee grounds to water. You may want to stain your fabric in a sink, especially with a larger quantity. Be aware the coffee may stain your sink. Because I didn’t want to stain my white sink, I choose to use a pot for this small amount of fabric.

Drip your fabric into the coffee water and then rinse until you no longer see stained water coming from the rinse water. Then, dry your fabric.

Create your stencil REMINISCENT of an old Feed Sack.

Depending on what type of vintage feed sack you want to make, you will want to create a stencil. Since I was wanting a coffee bean sack, I googled old coffee companies and then created a stencil using some of the signage from that company. Since I have a Silhouette Machine, I cut my own stencil using card stock paper. If you don’t have access to a stencil cutting machine, you can use individual letters to create the signage for your feed sack. I have done this in the past with great success. You can purchase stencils letters such as these these.

Apply Your Stencil

Once your fabric is dry, it’s time to apply your stencil. Use painters tape or masking tape to hold the stencil in the desired spot. In this instance, I am only using black chalk paint. This would also be adorable with different colors. You will want to purchase fabric paint or if you are using acrylic craft paint, be sure to add a fabric medium so your paint will be soft and pliable. Annie Sloan Chalk paint is perfect for this project because it doesn’t require a fabric medium when applied to fabric.

Place Stencil Randomly on the Fabric

To make your feed sack have an authentic feel, place the stencil randomly along the fabric and use a light hand when stenciling some of the letters. I recommend using a stencil brush to apply the paint. You want it to have the appearance of faded old sack fabric.

Once your fabric is dry, there are a multitude of things you can use it for. It would be perfect for pillow covers. I plan to use mine to cover some seat cushions.

Using drop cloth fabric is less expensive than most fabric and allows for a rustic feel. You can see a hand painted table runner here.

I hope you enjoyed this Tutorial on How to Make Feed Sack Fabric from a Drop Cloth. Please let me know if you are inspired to make your own. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.