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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 vintage-like material 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.

I also shared this deconstructed chair post to help you avoid my mistakes.

Prepare The Drop Cloth Material

Decide how much fabric you need for your vintage feed sack project.

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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 want to stain your drop cloth fabric with coffee for an aged look when making your vintage feed sack from new drop cloth 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.

You want to drip your drop cloth fabric into the coffee to stain the fabric when making your own feed sack fabric from a drop cloth.

First, add a small amount of coffee grounds to the water. You may want to stain your fabric in a sink, especially with a larger quantity.

Be aware the coffee may stain your sink, but a little bleach or Bar Keepers Friend will quickly remove the stain. Because I didn’t want to stain my white sink, I used 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 A Stencil REMINISCENT Of An Old Feed Sack.

You need to create a stencil with the design you desire on your vintage feed sack.

Depending on what type of vintage feed sack you want to make, you will want to create a stencil. Since I wanted 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, I cut my 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 stencil letters such as these.

Apply Your Stencil

  You want to stencil the design onto the fabric randomly to create a vintage feed sack appearance.

Once your fabric is dry, it’s time to apply your stencil. Use painter 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 the fabric.

Place Stencil Randomly on the Fabric
How to make your own feed sack fabric from a drop cloth.  You will want use paint appropriate for fabric.
Using card stock for your stencil does limit it’s durability. If you plan to use your stencil multiple times, I recommend using actual stencil material to cut your pattern.

To make your feed sack feel authentic, 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.

How to make your own feed sack fabric from a drop cloth. Here is a length of fabric with the stencil applied.
Here is what my completed length of fabric looks like.

Click Image For Details

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

You can use your DIY fabric to re-upholster a deconstructed chair.
This is a deconstructed chair that I initially used this fabric on. You can see The Real Truth, a tutorial on deconstructing a chair.
In addition, I made this stationary box from an old silverware box, which you can see in this photo.

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

You can make tea towels from the DIY Fabric.  Make your own Feed Sack Material from drop cloth fabric.
This is a Tea Towel from that same fabric
How to make your own feed sack fabric from a drop cloth. You can re upholster a deconstructed chair or make a pillow cover.

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.

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DIY Easy Drop Cloth Project to make vintage inspired feed sack fabric to use in DIY projects.
DIY Easy Drop Cloth Project to make vintage inspired feed sack fabric to use in DIY projects.

Cindy@CountyRoad407

Thursday 15th of October 2020

That is absolutely fabulous! Love how this chair turned out. It would easily become my fave chair. Pinned!

rahrags@gmail.com

Tuesday 20th of October 2020

Cindy, I really appreciate this. Thanks for always lifting me up. Rachel

Delanie

Saturday 23rd of May 2020

Love this project! I’ve just finished a drop cloth coverlet for our bed. I’m making shams and would love to try this stencil project on them as well as recovering a vanity stool. I just found your blog and love it! I took the Decor Personality Quiz and my two top scores were Traditional and Farmhouse Country. Yep! That’s me! Can’t wait to see what’s in store when I receive your next email!

rahrags@gmail.com

Tuesday 26th of May 2020

Delanie, I'm so excited that you found me. I've been on vacation so my email has been delayed. I'll get your next email asap. Rachel

Kippi

Wednesday 20th of May 2020

This chair turned out gorgeous. I adore vintage feed sacks! I am inspired to try my hand at making some fabric just like yours. Have a beautiful day, Kippi

rahrags@gmail.com

Thursday 21st of May 2020

Oh I hope you do. They are easy and fun. Rachel

Anita Holland

Tuesday 19th of May 2020

Wow, you did a beautiful job. The chair is stunning. Pinned

rahrags@gmail.com

Wednesday 20th of May 2020

Anita, Thank you so much for stopping by. I appreciate your encouragement. Rachel

Kim

Monday 18th of May 2020

What a smart idea! I love this Rachel!

rahrags@gmail.com

Tuesday 19th of May 2020

Kim, Thanks so much sweetie.