A shopping bag with improvements. It’s made from simple stitches in inexpensive cotton string from the hardware store. The bias mesh creates an expandable and sturdy shape, with smaller holes at the bottom to prevent loss of small items. The handle straps are long enough to tie shut and still carry easily, and wide enough to carry comfortably, even when loaded heavily.

For years, Europeans have known the pleasure and practicality of shopping with string shopping bags. These bags, when created “on the bias”, are very expandable and sturdy. They hold much more than a plastic or canvas bag of the same size, as well! Here’s an improvement on the classic French string bag-- a string market bag that folds neatly inside itself for hassle-free storage! The bag works up quickly from common cotton string, such as is sold in garden centers and hardware stores. It’s designed with smaller mesh near the bottom, to encourage small items to stay inside the bag, and larger ones near the top, to allow for expansion around bulky items. The carrying handles are long enough to fit over an arm or shoulder easily, and are wide enough not to “cut” when carrying a heavy load. I’ve been making these and using them as gift bags for friends and loved ones who want to “shop greener.”