What We Have Learned: Feed Sacks have been an integral part of American quilting since the late 19th century when frugal women bleached the white cotton sacks to use as quilt backings.  In the late 1930s feed came in sacks with beautiful prints on them.  This presentation will showcase beautiful quilts made from feed sack fabrics as well as the myriad items made from feed sacks along with the history of this commodity.  New research based on the largest collection of printed cotton sacks held in a public repository, Dr. Montgomery will share what they have found as well as many of the beautiful treasures in the collection.

About Marian Ann J. Montgomery, Ph.D.:

Curator of Clothing and Textiles at the Museum of Texas Tech University since 2014, Marian Ann J. Montgomery, Ph.D., cares for over 35,000 objects, the largest collection of this type of material at a University in the United States. She is a quilt historian having published through the American Quilt Study Group. Sought out as an entertaining and informative speaker, Dr. Montgomery enjoys making history come alive through the objects.

She received the 2019 Bybee Scholar award for her work in promoting and preserving the art of quilting. Among others, her publications include Cotton and Thrift: Feed Sacks and the Fabric of American Households, Sumptuous Stitches and Tiny Treasures: Needlework and Needlework Tools in the Collection of the Museum of Texas Tech University, and Miss America Fashion. Dr. Montgomery earned her Ph.D. in fashion and textile history/museum administration from New York University through studies in the Costume Institute and Textile Study Room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She resides in Lubbock with her husband and dog where she quilts in her spare time.