Reusable Bowl Cover

This DIY reusable bowl cover pattern will show you how to make your own fabric covers to save money and stop using plastic wrap.

three bowls covered with fabric bowl covers

This fabric bowl cover pattern is a little more detailed than many of our craft patterns. But it’s still an easy thing to sew.

Don’t worry. We have picture tutorials for every step!

brightly colored fabric bowl covers on salad bowls

Be sure to pick fabric colors that match your kitchen decor!

These are great to make for gifts, as well. And consider making these to sell at craft fairs, where they will do well.

You might also like our other zero waste craft tutorials:

Materials

pieces of fabric with thread, elastic and bias tape

Directions for Making a Reusable Bowl Cover

1. Wash, dry and iron the fabric.

pineapple fabric on ironing board near iron

2. Lay the fabric face down. Place your bowl face down on the wrong side of the fabric and trace around the bowl lightly. Be sure the pattern is what you want it to look like on the other side! Remove bowl.

upside down bowl on pineapple fabric with pencil nearby

3. Measure and make several small marks 1 ¼ inch away from the line you drew all the way around the circle. 

ruler and pencil on fabric

4. Connect your small marks together to form a bigger circle. This can be “eyeballed” as the raw edge won’t show in the final cover. 

pencil marks on fabric

5. Cut the larger circle out using sharp sewing scissors

fabric cut into a circle with scissors nearby

*If you are making multiple bowl covers for the same size bowl, simply trace the cut circle onto the other fabric choices. This will save you the time of tracing around the bowl again.

Tracing a circle onto striped fabric with a pencil
three fabric circles laying on white background

6. Now we need to add the bias tape. You’ll notice upon closely looking at the bias tape that it has one side that is slightly narrower than the other. 

White bias tape folded above piece of fabric for sewing

7. Unfold the narrower side of bias tape to reveal raw edge. 

white bias tape unfolded in woman's hand for sewing project

8. Fold in the very end of the bias tape slightly to create a clean edge once finished. 

white bias tape folded down on end for sewing

9. With the fabric now facing right side up, line the inside raw edge of the bias tape up to the edge of your cut circle of fabric (see photo). Curving the bias tape as you go, pin or clip every inch or so all the way around the circle. Overlap the edges just a bit (about ½”) when you get to the end and trim off excess.

small plastic clips holding white bias tape to edge of circle of fabric
pineapple fabric circle with clips around edges securing bias tape

10.  Using your sewing machine, stitch along the pre-made crease in the bias tape (this is about ¼” in from the edge) around the whole circle, removing pins or clips as you go. Be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of your stitching.

bias tape under sewing machine needle

11.  Next, tuck in the raw edges of the fabric and bias tape and fold the bias tape down. Be sure the bias tape and fabric inside are laying flat, then press to reinforce the creases. Add a few pins or clips to hold.

woman hand holding white bias tape open with stitching
woman holding fabric circle
woman's hand holding pineapple fabric

12.  Using your sewing machine, top stitch on the bias tape around the circle extremely close to the edge of where the fabric meets the bias tape. Leave an opening that is about 1.5” wide. 

small opening in bias tape on edge of bowl cover

13. Now we need to measure the elastic. With your bowl face down, lay the elastic around the rim at the bottom. Then subtract 4 or 5 inches and cut the elastic.

white elastic wrapped around white upside down bowl
scissors and ruler by elastic

14.  Insert a safety pin into one end of the elastic. 

safety pin attached to elastic

15. Put the safety pin end of elastic into the bias tape casing you created on the underside of the fabric. Continue feeding the elastic into the casing until you reach the other end of the circle at the opening. 

inserting elastic into edge of fabric bowl cover
puckered circle of fabric
elastic being gathered in edge of fabric circle
pulling elastic out of hem on fabric circle

16. Overlap the two ends of elastic by about an inch and stitch them together with a zig zag stitch (you will need to adjust your stitch width to match the size of the elastic). Tuck the elastic all the way into the casing and ensure it lays flat along the opening. 

white elastic pinned together
sewing elastic on a sewing machine
elastic ends sewn together with zig zag stitch
elastic in casing of reusable bowl cover

17.  Top stitch the opening of casing shut, backstitching at the beginning and end of your tiny seam. 

fabric under sewing machine foot

18.  Repeat the process for the desired number of bowl covers. 

Be sure to Pin This project to save for later!

reusable bowl cover on white plastic bowl

Another easy zero-waste sewing project is our cute turtle mops! They are perfect for picking up spills on the floor.

Want more easy sewing crafts for the kitchen? See our DIY Jar Openers next.

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