Bennison Goes Shopping

Austin is a city where most stores require customers to bring their own shopping bags to carry out purchases, particularly grocery stores and pharmacies, but many other types of retail stores do too. A bag ban was created to promote sustainability. I’ve grown tired of using the ugly bags that we’ve accumulated these past few years, paying .25 cents for each and a few times up to a dollar. They are a hassle to clean and don't last long. I also hate the plastic bags sold at grocery stores, which have piled up in my kitchen. To be honest, I don't think those are truly biodegradable, so they promote waste too. I decided to take my shopping experience to a more lovely and higher level. Every woman could use more beautification in their life and why not add it to the shopping bags that will carry our necessities? A sturdy shopping bag needs to be made with a superior quality fabric. Bennison Fabrics linen fabric is an excellent choice for someone who desires to combine that superiority with beauty. Bennison linen is practically ironclad and can be machine washed and dried. I made these simplistic beauties using remnants of one of my favorite Bennison prints ~ Faded Floral. I had two versions of original on beige...

this colorway was used for the larger grocery bags...

and this for the smaller bag...

the handles are strong enough to carry some weight...

Yes it is a luxurious and pricey choice. Bennison Fabrics is a high-end UK company that specializes in timeless hand printed fabrics based on older English and French textiles from the 18th and 19th century and is mainly available only to the trade here in the USA. Etsy and eBay are great sources for finding some yardage at a discount. You only need half a yard to make one average size shopping bag. Just be sure the pattern is printed on linen and not on silk. Here are a few other Bennison prints I found at www.bennisonfabrics.com that will make wonderful shopping bags. You can visit the website to see many more. The first is Camelia - Original on Oyster...

Cairo - Blues on Oyster...

Monkey Puzzle - Pink Orange on Oyster...

Pali - Grey Yellow on Oyster...

and my favorite Bennison print ~ Roses, a classic that comes in other colorways, but for those who desire some feminine power, in Shocking Pink on Oyster...

What is the advantage of this small indulgence? These shopping bags made with this superior linen are not only lovely and sustainable, but will wear well for many years to come and are a pleasure to use as I spend money on needed weekly essentials...

~ take something beautiful with you to complete a mundane task to turn that time into a joyful moment ~