It all started here....
on a simple trip a mile up the road to pick up some oyster shells for my girls.
"Hey, Calvin, you wouldn't happen to have any feed sacks laying around, would you?" Before we moved to 'The Mansion', I used to live walking distance from 83 year old Calvin. The kids and I would walk down our quiet country road to their old farm and Elsie, Calvin's sweet wife, would chat an ear off us, and the kids would usually end up getting a fresh egg or two from under a hen. Pretty much everyone within a ten mile radius is related to Calvin but me. I'm an outsider from Iowa, but have been living in the area for thirteen years.
"You mean like the burlap kind? Fabric? What exactly do you want?" "Yes! All of the above!"
"Well let me dig around in here... What on earth would you ever want with one? Here, it's really dirty, but it's all yours! It's got a farmer's initials on the back, so if he comes after you for stealing his feed bag, just know you're in trouble!" To which I reply, "is he still alive?!" Calvin chuckles "probably not!". So if anyone knows a farmer in the Parma area with the initials" MV", don't tell him that I repurposed a few of his feed sacks. :)
I wasn't sure I was even going to be able to use them, they were so dirty and stained. I soaked them overnight in my big laundry sink with bleach and Tide laundry detergent. When I wrung them out, the water was dark brown. Then I washed them in the washing machine and hung them out to dry in the warm sun. No, not all of the stains came out... but the part I wanted to use was not too bad!
Another sweet lady in Parma asked me just a few days after I acquired my feed sacks if I'd like to come look through some stuff she was looking to get rid of. Told me it wouldn't hurt her feelings a bit if I didn't want her junk. Oh, but I DID want her "junk" (which really wasn't junk at all)!! One of the things she thanked me for taking off her hands was this cute little foot stool.
I unscrewed the legs, and centered it over the "Property of General Mills", with the grain sack stripe going along the edge. My mother really got the sniffles over the fact that I covered up that beautiful needlework on the original upholstery, but at least it is still there! If I ever want it back, it's as simple as popping off a few staples!
No, I could not totally get rid of all the stains on the bag, but it adds to it's authentic character. :)
With the other side of the bag, I recovered an old pillow I had. Not being a seamstress of any sort, I'm pretty proud of how this turned out. :)
ANNNNND..... I'm extremely excited about this chair (and the identical one next to it that I'm purposefully not showing yet). The same woman who gave me the stool, asked me if I'd be interested in taking a pair of Queen Ann style chairs off her hands. Told me that her kids did not want them and told her nobody else would either!!! WRONG! They are exactly what I've been hunting for in every thrift store in Jackson County!!!!! Can chairs from Mrs. Larson be an answer to prayers? Not sure, but I kind of think so. :)
I feel like my "library on the landing" has finally come together now that I have matching chairs. But guess what, I"m not showing it all to you yet... I need to make another feed sack pillow to match it's partner!
Thanks, my friends in Parma! You make me smile. :)
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