From a flower sack to trendy clothing

In the 1930s in the United States, sacks containing flour and grain were made of cloth, primarily cotton. The Kansas Wheat company, in the midst of the Great Depression, realized that the poorest families were reusing them to sew dresses for women and girls, so to make them more captivating they decided to print them with floral and colorful motifs.

Mr. Bales, Roscoe, Missouri, filed a patent in October 1924 for cotton sacks to have interesting patterns and to be of a decent size, so they could be used for clothing. Specifically, Asa was assigning his patent to the George P. Plant Milling Co. in St. Louis for their new line of “Gingham” flour.

The line split off into different brands including “Gingham Girl,” “Mother Gingham,” “Baby Gingham” and “Gingham Queen”. Executives of Plant Milling saw this as a prime marketing opportunity, thinking people will see the Gingham pattern and will instantly know it is from their company.

Since the sacks were created with clothing in mind, Bales’ patent noted that the markings on the package, such as brand name, would wash away. This was specifically so the cloth could be transformed into clothing. Other mills caught on to the tactic and then started developing their own fashionable packaging. From pastels to novelty prints, the competing mills would play the game of “who can develop the most attractive pattern?”

Fast forward a few years to the 1940s, and the United States was engaged in World War II. Americans who were not on the frontlines made sacrifices so the soldiers could have provisions. All available cotton and wool was diverted to the war effort. Desperate for fabric for clothing, homemakers crafted clothes out of the cotton sacks. The flour sack dress became a common, and trendy, outfit. Everywhere you looked there were flour sack dresses. There were even sewing competitions where women would go head-to-head and show off their sewing skills.

These dresses were a way for rural women to show off their fashion sense all while being frugal. Flour sack dresses were all the rage up until around the 1960s. Today, we remember the style of these iconic dresses and the historical legacy that they leave!