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| Banana Berry |
Every once in awhile I like to highlight a product, whether
it is mine or someone else’s. Today I will highlight my reusable grocery bags.
Short story behind the bags – this is my own design. I used
to live in an apartment on the 2nd floor, and in my family, we tend to take
everything in one trip. After all, why would I want to walk all the way down
stairs to grab a 2nd load of groceries when it freezing cold outside? I
wouldn’t. So, I would load up my hands with the plastic bags from the grocery
store, and the bags would do 1 of 2 things – Either break halfway up the
stairs, or cut into my hands from the sheer weight of the items. Neither was a
good scenario. I had a few reusable grocery bags I had purchased, but the
handles would break. And I hate sewing. With. A. Passion.
I thought, there has to be an easier way. I searched for reusable
grocery bag patterns that I could crochet, but couldn’t find one that didn’t
require sewing. That summer, I was helping out at a consignment boutique in
exchange for being able to sell my products. It was a slow day, and I had
brought some scrap yarn with me to test a pattern. And voila! I had my first
pattern. Now, I have designed lace shawls in the past, but that was just a
matter of drawing out flowers and leaves on a piece of graph paper. This was
the first pattern I had written from the ground up.
Of course, I needed to test my new bag. Rule # 1 – always
test your own product. At least when it comes to knitting and crochet. I
brought my bag to Walmart and bought 2 gallons of milk. Then prepared myself to
carry the 2 jugs up the stairs in my new bag. It worked! The bag held up to the
weight of the milk with ease! Stretched a lot, but that was expected. The next
test is the test I bring with me to every craft show – 2 big bottles of soda (2
Liter size) and a bag of chips. The chips were not crushed by the bottles of
soda. Over the next few weeks, I made more of the bags, and my son and I tested
them with our weekly grocery runs. My son loves the bags because they are
easier to carry over his shoulder.
These little bags can do it all. Take to a farmer’s market
for fresh veggies. Stuff 3 beach towels in one and still have room for
sunscreen, bottles of water and beach toys and hit the beach. Use as a handy
day care bag and fill with a pack of diapers, wipes and spare clothes. Have
more than one child? Buy different colored bags for each child to help keep you
and your day care provider organized. Trust me – I have a lot of colors!
The girls my son dances with will stuff their poufy
crinolines and dance shoes in their bags. They work great to transport soccer
cleats and shin guards (and helps air them out after practice or games).
These bags are wonderful housewarming gifts. Pair with a
bottle of wine and a loaf of French bread to give to the new homeowners.
Fill with dorm essentials for the college bound student.
This bag makes a great laundry bag.
Everyone who has purchased this bag loves it for its
versatility and size. The best part – this bag is machine washable and dryer
safe. That’s right. Stretch it out as
far as it can go, then toss it in the washer and let it go back to its original
shape.
Use over and over again. Not only will you be saving
yourself the frustration of having bags break, you’ll be helping save the
environment. You can easily use this bag over 100 times (and more, and more).
Use this bag every week for a year and you are keeping 60-100 plastic bags out
of landfills and oceans. This is only one of the products in my ecofriendly
home accessories line. For other products, check out my Etsy page.
http://jenstangledthreads.etsy.com
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