Not written by me.
I ran across this in a book in the thrift store, and figured it would be on the internet. Sure enough, it is.
Flour Sack Underwear
When I was a Maiden fair,
Mama made our underwear.
With five tots & Pa's poor pay,
How could she buy us lingerie?
Monograms & fancy stitches
were not on OUR flour sack britches.
Panty waists that stood the test
With Gold Medal on the Chest.
Little pants the best of all
With a scene I still recall:
Harvesters were gleaning wheat
Right across the little seat.
Tougher than a grizzly bear
Was our flour sack underwear.
Plain or fancy, three feet wide,
stronger than a hippos hide.
Through the years each Jill & Jack
Wore this sturdy garb of sack.
Waste not, want not, we soon learned,
Penny saved, a penny earned.
Bedspreads, curtains, tea towels, too.
Tablecloths to name a few.
But the best beyond compare
was our Flour Sack Underwear!
Ruth Gettle
This poem is in the book "The Old-Time Art of Thrift"
I think flour sack undies belong to a different generation; I have never worn them.
Perhaps T-shirt underwear could be the flour sack underwear of this generation. I have put together some of those. You can google if you don't know what that would be. An extra large men's t-shirt for $1 at the thrift store can be turned into two or three pairs.
A Poem for the Thrifty
June 5th, 2013 at 07:40 pm
June 5th, 2013 at 08:01 pm 1370462515
My mom, who is from Oklahoma and was 5 years old when the dust bowl started, has worn feed sack dresses. She has never mentioned any flour sack undies, though.
June 5th, 2013 at 08:38 pm 1370464704
June 5th, 2013 at 11:11 pm 1370473912
June 6th, 2013 at 12:51 am 1370479899