German Grain Sack Christmas Stocking – Modern Country/Farmhouse Décor

GERMAN GRAIN SACK LINEN STOCKING

• Antique German grain sack linen front
• Vintage linen back
• Sturdy grain sack loop with hand sewn patch for secure hanging

GERMAN GRAIN SACK LINEN STOCKING

• Generously sized at about 19" high x 10" wide at the toe

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The antique grain sack linen is 90 - 140 years old and made from flax and hemp, grown by European farmers who wove the material by hand. The stripe patterns were woven in to identify the farmer's grain sacks when they took their grain to the local mill. Women weavers spent their evenings weaving this amazing linen. It took about one night to weave a 24-inch length of linen approximately 20 inches wide.

The grain sacks were then sewn together and stenciled or hand painted, often with beautiful tar-based ink. Farmers as well as others applied symbols of their work for identification on these sacks. The symbols might include farm implements, such as a rake or an animal in the case of a farmer, or even a boot indicating the owner was a shoemaker. Usually the wealthy were able to afford such embellishments.

The sacks were always numbered. On one of my trips to Germany I met with two experts on these sacks. They said that the numbers on these sacks were always sequential and needed for tax collection. I have a picture of a tax official weighing and recording the content and weight of the sacks. Even then, the state would always collect their due! Earlier sacks almost never featured a number over 10, as farms were mainly smaller. The sacks were always considered precious and were often handed down from generation to generation.

THESE SACKS ARE VERY RARE! So many of them were destroyed during WWI and WWII in Germany. In fact, one of my mother's journal entries reads "...and we burned the sacks, in order to keep warm”.

When I first started working with antique grain sacks, I hoped to convey to my children a sense of history and an awareness of their European heritage. I also wanted my home to connect with nature by using natural materials, instead of man-made fibers. I can hardly tell you how much we have enjoyed the wonderful items made from this beautiful linen!

Ludwiga's Linen products, including decorative pillows, home accents and lavender sachets are handmade in Morgan Hill, California.