Many crafters hold onto leftover materials from other projects, especially those who sew.  This can lead to a large fabric stash in no time. No more worries fabric scrap hoarders! These reusable bowl covers are the perfect project to bust your stash and they are an environmentally-friendly and cheaper way to skip the plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

Supplies

• scrap fabric (large enough to cover the top of the bowls plus an inch)*
• 1/4 inch elastic
• fabric marker (or pencil)
• scissors
• sewing machine and accessories (not shown)

*You should pre-wash and dry your fabric before using it in a sewing project. If not, you may risk shinkage. You can use any type of fabric for this project. Thinner cottons, fat quarters or bandanas work great.

Measure

Place your bowl upside down on top of the fabric. It really doesn’t matter which side is facing up. Trace around the bowl with the fabric maker. Measure about 1 inch out from the rim of the bowl and draw another circle. If your bowl has a wide lip, make the hem allowance larger.

Cut

Cut out the circle. You may use pinking shears to prevent fraying. Or, use the overcast stitch around the edges to help keep the fabric from fraying. Hemming is optional, however, for a polished look, hem the edges.

Hem

If you sewed an overcast stitch or used pinking shears, turn the edge of the fabric in 1/4 inch and sew around. If you did not use the overcast stitch or pinking shears to prevent fraying, turn the edge in 1/4 inch twice and sew.

Add Elastic

Line up one end of the elastic right next to the edge of the hemline. Sew the end in place (go back and forth over the area a couple of times to make sure it’s secure). Switch your stitch over to zig-zag on your machine. Pull the elastic taut while you slowly zig-zag stitch around the perimeter of the circle. As you sew, the fabric will ruffle up behind the sewing foot. When you approach the beginning of the elastic, join the elastic to the beginning with another back and forth stitch. Cut off the excess elastic. 

Cover

Make extra covers in various sizes to match each of your serving bowls. Color coordinate them to match the style of your kitchen. Reusable fabric bowl covers make fun, homemade housewarming gifts too.