Feed Sack Dresses (and Boll Weevils) Louisa, Kentucky

We all enjoyed riding into town since it was something we didn’t do every day, or even every week. We usually headed into town for a big grocery run, or to pick up feed for the animals. The kids all hopped in the back of the truck, and Dad, Mom and Mamaw got in the cab. It was only about 20 minute ride, but Louisa seemed like it was far away.

All the kids knew they were going to get a dollar for a trip to the dime store. The adults were probably glad just to get out and about.  We all looked forward to a burger and maybe even an ice cream cone.

Usually, I’d get a toy soldier or plastic tank or plane with my dollar. I don’t remember what the girls got, maybe a doll or a toy purse. It seemed like the toy selection was large, but usually all the toys were in one corner of the store.

Dad would go to the feed store, but buying feed in those days wasn’t as simple as you might think. The grain came in a cotton sack with a dress/floral pattern. The women would choose the fabric they thought they’d like to make a dress out of. I don’t know how many sacks it took to make a dress but to get the wrong cotton sack pattern would be a disaster. The feed store owner realized this, and kept a wide selection of feed sacks available.  He also had free dress pattern on hand.

One day as we were riding back from town, little black bugs started coming out of the feed sacks. Ugly looking beetles, they were crawling all over the pretty floral pattern Mamaw had picked out at the store. 

 

When the adults took a look, they were horrified. Boll Weevils! When we first saw the bugs, we weren’t sure what to think, but now we knew it was time to panic. Did they bite or sting? Could they fly or did they just find a way to crawl up your pant leg? 

The way everyone was acting, we knew we were all in imminent danger.

The truck was turned around, and we headed back to town. We three kids huddled towards the front of the truck, and watched the wind blow some of the weevils of the sacks and into the air. We all kept our heads down the whole trip.

I’m not sure what happened after that. We had new sacks of feed, but without the weevils. I don’t know if the feed sacks were the right pattern or not.