How To Make Vintage Inspired Feed Sack Fabric

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 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.

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. 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 however the process is much slower.

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.

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.

Here is what my completed length of fabric looks like.Once your fabric is dry, there are a multitude of things you can use it for. It would be perfect for pillow covers. 

Here is the first project I made with DIY Feed Sack material from a drop cloth.

Here is another way I've used this fabric and here is another fun drop cloth project.