Feed sack re-purposing ideas

[freemotion]

Some of us simply cannot throw away a perfectly good feed sack. However, they tend to pile up. What are some of your uses for these plastic-fabric sacks?

I use some for keeping stuff clean (some are keeping hay free of guinea poo right now) and for storing home-cured lawn hay for the poultry. I will line a cardboard box with one when I give away a perrenial with a largish root ball.

I plan to make some re-usable grocery bags and totes with some. I have two beautiful, large BOSS bags with cardinals on them. I also favor some bags with the farm name printed on them from when I can buy grain directly from the farmer.

I have lots of smaller ones that alfalfa pellets come in, with no printing on them at all.

I have a few paper ones stored, I use those to line the "chicken hospital" box in the basement and to use as a disposable drop-cloth for smaller projects.

What are your brilliant ideas??

 

[punkin]

All of our feed sacks are paper, so we just use them as trashbags.

I also cut them open to spread out for a "drop cloth".

 

[Tallman]

I remember my mother talking about "feed sack" dresses. The feed bags 80 or 90 years ago were made out of patterned material that was used for dresses and shirts after the feed was emptied out. It's too bad that our sacks can't be made out of something similar that could be a little more useful.

 

[big brown horse]

Funny you should post... I just put one on top of the chicken coop to act as a sun shade for the girls while they lay eggs. When I built the coop I used a clear roof so they could get more sunlight, now it just bakes in there during the day. The feed bag is temproary, just being held in place with rocks. But it works, & they are white which really helps.

I thought about turning them into grocery sacks, but my sewing machine is down and I didn't think I could hand sew the plastic mesh weaving very well. Right now I just fold them up and store them on a shelf.

 

[Alaska Animal Lover]

Bringing Frees idea over from the saving money thread about using twine from hay for handles on reuseable bags....

I figures I would cut some wide strips (4-6 inches) from one of my feed bags and fold it over, sew down the length of it, then sew it on as handles. I'm thinking if I sew it on the bag part with an X then cover that with a square "patch" it would be pretty strong. I am NOT a seamstress or even a button sewer by the way so if that seems wrong to you please let me know before I fail miserably lol!

 

[sylvie]

When I worked with the Derby horses at the tracks in Florida during winter we had race horse oats that came in muslin feed sacks.
My best friend that I went down there with met a great guy, and she married him in a wedding dress that she hand sewed from the feed sacks. This was an amazing dress, she was a gifted seamstress and it fit beautifully!

I began sewing muslin blouses and embroidering them for extra cash. The blue print washed right out. I have one unwashed sack left from that time and won't part with it, for memory's sake.

 

[FarmerDenise]

We use the feed sacks to dry our sunflower seeds. We can hang the sacks filled with the partially dry sunflowe seed heads in the rafters of our hot garage. That way the rats cannot get them. I do the same with the millet and other grains that the rats tend to get into. They make great temporary covers for lots of things. I used them for frost protection this winter (doubled up). I was able to cover the whole small citrus tree and avocado tree. Both made it through.
Beware of leaving them out in the sun too long (like all year). They disintegrate into teeny tiny bits. A nasty mess.

 

[freemotion]

Thanks for the disintegration warning, but it is a good thing that they fall apart so easily, at least they are not floating in the ocean in that USA-size mass of trash!

Flour sacks used to be usable, too, and towels for drying dishes were made from them.

I never would've guessed that today's feed sacks are porous enough to dry sunflower heads in! I will try that, if the squirrels leave me a sunflower or two....oh, it has to be two. They left me one last year, and the seedhead was loaded....with empty shells!

 

[sparks]

Mine are paper and I use them as unique gift wrap.

 

[freemotion]

Great idea! I think some of the plastic burlap ones could make funky giftwrap, too.....thinking natural baling twine to tie it in place and something from nature as a "bow" like pine cones and a few sprigs of pine branches.....a little bouquet of dried seedheads and grasses.....a cluster of dried red peppers to decorate a gift for a cook....oooooooo! The ideas!!!! I'm wrapping a gift tonight! THANKS!!!!!!

If I had time, a shopping bag from a feedsack would make a great gift bag, too!