How to Sew a Reusable Bowl Cover | Free Sewing Pattern
Looking for an easy, quick project? Here’s how to sew a reusable bowl cover.
In my effort to cut down on plastics and waste, I wanted to make something that would reduce the use of plastic wrap. I do use those beeswax covers and they are great for certain purposes, but they don’t give a tight seal.
This was inspired by my post on sewing produce bags. Those are great when out shopping. Now I needed something for the home.
I was looking for something to cover up leftovers and to cover up dough while it is rising. So here’s an easy sewing project that you can do. I’m going to share with you how to sew a reusable bowl cover. Basically, we are going to sew a shower cap for a bowl!
Types of Fabric to Make a Reusable Bowl Cover
You could use any type of woven fabric to make a bowl cover.
There are many very pretty quilting cottons. Quilting cottons have a nice dense weave and come in so many colours and patterns.
One of my first test pieces was made using polyurethane-coated fabric – the same fabric I used to make the covers for my instant pot and kitchen aid mixer. What’s nice about this fabric is that the polyurethane coating is easy to wipe clean. It’s still machine washable, but I like the idea that it can also be wiped clean. However, my one small criticism is that the polyurethane coating is only on one side – the good side. Therefore, it’s not the side that could come in contact with the food. I would think that’s the side you’d want to be able to wipe clean easily at a moment’s notice. You could remedy this by making it 2 layers, or reversible (more on this further down).
In the end, my preference was PUL fabric. This fabric also has a polyurethane coating, but it is on both sides of the fabric. This is the fabric that I used to make my reusable snack bags. I like that it is thin and easy to wipe clean. While this fabric is intended mainly for diaper covers, it may be somewhat challenging to find a more “mature” print, but there are some out there.
Supplies Needed to Sew a Reusable Bowl Cover
It doesn’t take a lot to sew a reusable bowl cover.
- Fabric
- 1/4″ elastic
- Sewing machine and/or Serger
- Pinking shears (if not using a serger)
- Sewing notions: thread, scissors, etc.
This may be a good project to go through your stash pile.
First Cut Your Fabric
The bowl cover is simply a piece of fabric cut in the shape of a circle. The size of the circle is determined by the size of the bowl. I like to have a bit of overhand around the bowl as well. Here are the 3 measurements that I used that worked for what we had:
- 5.5-inch cereal/soup bowl – cut a 9-inch circle.
- 7-inch mixing/serving bowl – cut a 10.5 inch circle.
- 8.5-11 inch mixing/serving bowl – cut a 14-inch circle
Each bowl cover will work for a range of sizes so there is some flexibility.
You can easily modify this to suit your needs. You may wish to only sew a certain size or make them slightly bigger or smaller depending on your needs.
I made cardstock templates. I just made half circles and so I cut on the fold. You could also trace a large dinner plate or bowl as well.
If you want to sew a. bowl cover for a specific bow, you will want to cut a circle approximately 5-6 inches wider in diameter (all the way across). Another way of doing it is laying your bowl down on the fabric and draw a circle 2.5-3 inches wider all the way around.
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Sew Your Elastic On
There are a couple of ways you can sew your elastic on. You don’t have to have a serger to make these – they can easily be made using a sewing machine as well. Choose the method that works best for you..
METHOD 1 – USING A SEWING MACHINE
- Finish the outside edge either with a serger or with pinking shears.
- Fold over that finished edge by 1/2 an inch and either pin or clip into place.
- Sew 3/8 of an inch from the edge to create the casing or tunnel for the elastic. Leave a 2-inch opening. As you are sewing in a circle, it will be hard to get it to look “perfect” but don’t worry about it as the elastic will scrunch it up and no one will notice.
- Cut a piece of 1/4 inch elastic that is 5 inches less than the circumference of your bowl. So what I did was wrap the elastic around the bowl and got the measurement and then subtracted 5 inches from that.
- Overlap the ends by 1 inch and stitch together. Use a zig-zag stitch.
- Stitch the opening closed
METHOD 2 – USING A SERGER WITH AN ELASTIC FOOT
The elastic foot makes sewing on elastic very easy.
- attach the elastic foot to your serger
- feed the elastic through
- adjust the tension on your elastic foot – this is how stretched the elastic will be. I prefer to make mine pretty stretched. You may wish to do a couple of test pieces to figure out the tension you prefer
- sew the elastic on to your fabric round
- when you get to the end, be sure to overlap by a good half inch
OPTION: How to Make Them Reversible
To make them reversible is easy.
- cut 2 circles of the same size
- with right sides together, sew or serge the 2 pieces together all the way around, leaving a 2-inch opening.
- turn the bowl cover right side out using the 2-inch opening.
- sew 3/8 of an inch from the edge, all the way around. This will create the tunnel for the elastic.
- feed your elastic through that 2-inch opening and all the way around.
- sew the ends of the elastic together.
- sew the opening closed.
This creates a somewhat neater look. It also creates a thicker bowl cover. This would be good if you are using cotton that is quite thin and you just want a bit of extra thickness.
Regardless of how you sew it, these bowl covers are very handy and practical. I definitely use way less plastic wrap now, as a result. My only complaint would be that as it is not clear, I cannot see what is inside the bowl and so I always have to peek. But considering how much less waste I have, it’s all worth it.
Have a bunch on hand in the kitchen so that you can cover up your bowls. These are also great for covering up items that are sitting on the counter so you can keep the flies off. They’re great for picnics too!
Sew up a bunch for stocking stuffers or hostess gifts. I know I will.
