I lived in Milwaukee during the 30's, no feed sacks but my mother made dresses and clothing for my sister and me. Mom made snowsuits out of men's overcoats for a dollar for other children. She could buy the fabric pictured on the patterns for dresses and we had matching outfits, one in red and one in blue usually. My sister and I learned to sew at the social center a half block from our house. A lady named Mrs. Brandt cut out doll clothes from scraps we brought from home. We had to set in sleeves, hem everything, make buttonholes, gored skirts, princess style dresses and even coats and caps for our dolls and all by hand. She folded the cloth and cut away armholes, necklines, and whatever, never using a pattern. We learned to do the same and I still have the box of clothing I made for my 18 inch doll. I didn't have a store bought coat till I was 12 or 13.
My sister and I each have a quilt made by our grandmother and a slip of paper where she wrote, "This quilt was made for grandaughter Carol (Lois) by her grandmother Sybilla Nickel in 1932". Embroidered blocks with flowers on them and hand quilted, mine is green and my sister's is blue.
We did many craft projects at the playground. Milwaukee had a socialist government and paid college graduates to teach at social centers. I even learned to tap dance and over 30 years later found a woman who was probably the teacher here in a different city.
We used the dime or quarters we earned to buy stamped embroidery goods and had our hope chests full of doilies, dresser scarves and embroidered dish towels. We learned to do all these things with the help of our mother and the teachers at the social center.
Carol J.