Feedsack Fabric and Yoyo Quilts 101

I've been crazy for yoyos for many years, ever since my parents bought me a gorgeous yoyo quilt as a Christmas gift.  I loved the colors and pattern so much, I displayed it on a wall in my apartment, then condo, then house.  Basically, it's been a backdrop throughout my adult life.  Maybe that's why I've taken on a mentor role to so many yoyo quilts, yoyo squares, and stray yoyos over the years.  I just can't get enough of them!  I use single yoyos for a variety of craft projects (such as the brooch pictured below), and sell yoyo squares and whole quilts in my antique mall booths.

 

Using the word "quilt" is kind of a misnomer, because yoyo quilts are more of a "spread" or even a "throw".  They don't contain quilt batting in between layers of fabric like a traditional quilt.  Most don't even include a backing fabric, so there are spaces in between the yoyos that make them more of a decorative item than something used for warmth.

Let me fill you in on the story of yoyos and feedsack fabrics.   Before the creation of heavy duty paper and plastic sacks, grains, animal feed, and pantry staples were sold in cloth sacks.  During the Great Depression (1929-1939), thrifty housewives would sew garments from the "feedsacks", sometimes going to great lengths to remove the sacks' printed-on labels.  The manufacturers of the products quickly caught on and began marketing their staples with pretty calico patterned cotton sacks with removable paper labels instead.  

 

Once a dress or other garment was worn out, parts could still be salvaged.  This is how the yoyo came to be.  Women and girls would cut circles from the fabric, and hand-stitch each yoyo until there were enough yoyos to put a quilt together.  A sewing machine wasn't necessary.  As the years went on, women continued making yoyos out of fabric scraps, transitioning from the feedsack fabrics to other fabric scraps, most commonly cotton prints or solids. 

 

If you want to purchase a yoyo quilt, there are quite a few of them out there in the world, so you should be able to find one to meet your needs.  Check your favorite antique mall, antique show, or eBay.  Prices are going to vary depending on the age, condition, size, and craftsmanship. 

The large yoyo quilt below recently sold on eBay for $150, with free shipping.  I think that's a good deal for a quilt of this size.  Think of all the work that went into this:

 

How will you know for sure if the quilt is made from feedsacks?  That can be hard to determine definitively.  After viewing some examples here, perhaps I can give you a framework to work with, based mostly on color.  A reader has also suggested the book "Feedsack Fabrics From the Farm" by Susan Miller for more information and lots of beautiful photos (thanks, Beth).

The bowl full of yoyos below show some very nice fabrics that I'm quite sure are feedsack fabrics, circa 1930's.  These are some of the best yoyos I've ever had.  Great mini-print fabric, well made, and flat (which makes them easy to use in craft projects).  Predominant colors from the 1930's included lavender, peach, and "institutional green", a shade of green that shows up in printed and solid fabrics and was a very popular paint color.

 

By comparison, look at the yoyos below.  Deeper jewel-tone colors, some pastel flannel fabric, and hardly any mini-print or calico fabrics give clues that these yoyos were made in the last 30 or 40 years:

 
 

Below we have a quilt made with feedsack yoyos on a pale peach colored cotton backing:

 

I purchased the yoyo quilt below on eBay.  I'm guessing the fabric is from the 1960's.  Notice how many solids there are, and the dark orange which was so popular in the 60's through 70's.  Although the yoyos were well-made, they were connected with very loose stitching.  I spent a lot of time reinforcing the loose stitches, which was very time-consuming.  That's one drawback to buying online.  I would have noticed the loose stitching right away if I had the chance to handle it and view it up close:

 

Below you can see some yoyos that are from the 1960's or even the 1970's.  That psychedelic fabric, hot lime green, and solid purple are my clues that these yoyos are from that time period.

  

Here is an unusual combination of layered yoyos connected by crochet.  Perhaps you will notice the color palette of pastel pink and gray.  The fabrics appear to be from the 1950's at the earliest, so this would not be considered a feedsack fabric quilt, but it's definitely a wonderful creation:

 

I don't get too worried whether or not yoyos are made from feedsack fabric.  If a yoyo speaks to me, I listen to it.  I don't really care if it was made in 1934 or 1974.  My inspector seems unimpressed by this quilt, however:

 

Last spring I corralled a herd of wild yoyos and paired them with vintage buttons, colorful felt, and baker's twine to make these garlands:

 

When I saw this idea in Flea Market Style magazine I couldn't wait to try it.  I had so much fun making these yoyo flowers using knitting needles as the stems:

    

I took the yoyo flowers two steps further by gluing colorful buttons on the ends of the needles and making leaves with fabric stiffener:

 

Now I'm offering some of my yoyos for sale so you can make your own creations with them.  I've sorted them by size and packaged them up to sell on Etsy, including this package of seven-yoyo rounds that would look great sewed to a canvas tote or burlap pillow:

 

I'm also offering a dozen of these extra large yoyos made from groovy psychedelic fabrics:

 

There are bags of smaller size yoyos available too.  If you want a custom selection of crafting yoyos, you can e-mail me at mitziscollectibles@comcast.net and I can put something together for you!

I hope you learned a little about yoyos in this post.  Do you think there might be room for a yoyo quilt in your life some time in the future?

Mitzi

Comments

[Susan Cooke]

I love yo-you quilts. Thanks for sharing. What did the feedsacks look like?

[Sally Hackney]

Dear Mitzi, I've been following your blog for a while and I love it. When I opened this post, well, my heart sang out. I love yo-yo's. I can't sew except mending and crude handstiching but I got hooked on cutting small circles and making these little gems. I've made some yo-yo clowns for my grandkids and some Christmas ornaments. But mostly I make them, throw them in a bowl and make some more. Thanks for posting all the beautiful throws and other yo-yo treasures you have. Merry Christmas, Sally

[Nancy]

Mitzi,
I receive your Blog post in my email, and I enjoy reading every one of them right down to the last word!! I love and have been making yo~yo's since I was a little girl. Thanks for this weeks post, it was great!!
Nancy
coeurdalenegifts.blogspot.com

[Beth Leintz]

Love this post- I'm partial to the feed and flower sack yo-yos, but I agree, if a quilt speaks to you, it doesn't matter what it's made of. I think its awfully hard to tell for sure how old fabric is, and is it really a feedsack- I do have a book "Vintage Feed Sacks Fabric from the Farm" by Susan Miller- it doesn't make you an expert, but it is kind of eye candy for us vintage fabric lovers.

[Lisa]

I just sold a gorgeous yoyo quilt in September and now after reading this post, I kind of wish I kept it. Oh well, I did triple my money so that's good I guess. I bought another yo yo quilt for $15.00 several years ago. I have since made several cute pillows out of it and they always seem to be one of the first things to sell. I still have enough of that one to make several more pillows so that's good. Thanks for sharing this fun post!

Hugs,
Lisa

[Mitzi Curi]

Hi Beth,

I should have searched for a picture of an actual feedsack. Truth be told, Ive never had an actual calico feedsack in my hands. The book by Susan Miller would certainly be a great reference for those interested in learning more about this type of fabric.

Thanks for visiting my blog, as always!

Mitzi

[Mitzi Curi]

Lisa, Im sure another beautiful yoyo quilt will come your way. Im not surprised your yoyo pillows sell so well. Yoyos are totally hot right now, and everyone has room for another special pillow!

Mitzi

[Mitzi Curi]

Hi Sally!

Thanks for the kind words about my blog. This post in particular was fun for me to create, and im so glad you enjoyed it too!

I think yoyo ornaments would be adorable! Ive seen yoyo chains used as Christmas tree garlands, and theyre mighty cute.

Merry Christmas to you too,

Mitzi

[GinaV]

Loved reading all about the yo-yos. Always liked them but had no idea the history behind them. Thanks for filling me in!

[sharron]

love your post.
i learned alot more about the history of yo*yo's!!
love them for crafting and making clips for my daughters!
blessings~

[Bev C]

Hello Mitzi,

Oh this post is pure bliss. Love the quilt with the crochet,there is certainly a huge amount of work in it. I remember making a yo-yo doll when I was a teenager. Many years ago.
Thanks for sharing your yo-yo's.
Happy days.
Bev.xoxo

[Tamara @ A Treasured Past]

Hi Mitzi,

thanks for visiting my blog, and your nice comments. Its nice to meet you :)

Love your little westies, they are so cute. We have a little Australian terror, I mean terrier, hehe.

Love the flapper girls, I have one an old one with wonky eyes.

Tamara x

[Debb Miller]

My psychic abilities kicked in again in the fact that I decided to clean out my closets to choose what to sell, what to keep and what to give away of my quilts, coverlets, blankets, throws, chenille, candlewick, pillows, etc.
Today was pillow day. The first pillow was a cheerfull yo yo pillow backed in bright yellow. It is getting worn out by being put into the "to sell" then into the "to keep" piles over and over again. I think you just made my decision.
By the way Tamara. Australian "terrors" are my favorite breed there is a wonderful site on facebook called Australian Terrier International. You can also google their site. They put out a great newsletter and there is a lot of advice on how to handle and groom these fun little monsters. See you there!

[Mitzi Curi]

Hi Debb,

Im glad you are going to keep the yoyo pillow! My mom used to make yoyos and said they were so fun to make. They would just sit and make one after the other, throwing them in a big wicker basket until they had enough for a quilt.

Thanks for the tip about the Australian terror site! Im definitely going to visit it this morning. Last night I saw a news clip about a trash man that found a garbage bag with two Westie puppies, still alive, in it. They were emaciated and had maggots on their skin, but they will be OK. Cute as can be! Who could do such a thing? All they had to do was take them to a shelter, and someone would have adopted them. I hope they catch the person who owned them.....

I need to close on a happy note. Nice to meet you!!!

Mitzi