Flour Sack Quilt

Quilt Description

Maker: Ida (Fowler) Dowd Thomas

Overall Size: 72″ width; 86″ length

Block Size: 13 1/4″ width; 25 1/2″ length

Layout: Three rows of 5 blocks each (15 blocks total)

Time Frame: 1910

Condition: Good (moderate use)

Description: This historic quilt is a practical yet thoughtfully assembled textile, constructed from repurposed flour sacks. The quilt top is composed of the printed front panels of sacks sourced from Oregon mills operating between the 1890s and early 1900s, with eight originating from Marion County-based mills. Though inherently utilitarian in both material and design, the creator recognized and preserved the visual appeal of the printed flour sacks, showcasing their vibrant ink patterns in black, blue, brown, gold, green, pink, yellow and red.

The quilt top consists of 15 rectangular blocks arranged in three rows of five. Each block measures approximately 13 1/4 inches in width and 25 1/2 inches in length, creating a row width of roughly 66 1/4 inches before sashing was applied. The rows are joined without sashing between them, resulting in a total length of approximately 76 1/2 inches.

Sashing was first applied to the top and bottom edges, measuring about 5 inches wide, followed by side sashing approximately 3 inches wide. A plain cotton fabric with a weave similar to that of the flour sacks was used for these sections. The backing is also constructed from plain cotton fabric, likely the reverse side of repurposed flour sacks, matching the front in overall color and texture.

A thin layer of batting separates the front and back layers, providing insulation, while hand-tying with yellow-gold embroidery floss secures the layers. Ties were placed in a grid pattern at roughly 3-inch intervals. The binding method was simple yet effective: the front and back layers were stitched together on three sides with the batting enclosed in an envelope-style construction, then turned right side out. The fourth side was finished by folding the edges inward and securing them with a double row of machine stitching.

Creator History

Ida Fowler was born on March 23, 1867, in Newberg, Oregon, to Charles and Louisa (Wood) Fowler. After her mother’s death in 1868, the family moved to Wheatland in Yamhill County, where her father farmed. On November 19, 1889, she married Truman H. Dowd, a farmer twice her age. They lived near Wheatland and had at least four children: Hilda, Lydia, Floyd and Loyd (who died young). Truman passed away in 1902.

Ida remarried on January 14, 1905, to Elmer C. Thomas in Vancouver, Washington. The couple lived briefly in Scotts Mills before returning more permanently to Hopewell, in Yamhill County. They had no children together. Ida outlived all but one of her children, losing both daughters to illness before 1930. Widowed again in 1939, she remained on her Hopewell farm until shortly before her death on January 27, 1948. She was buried in Hopewell Cemetery, survived by her son Floyd and three grandchildren.