Friday, February 5, 2010

*Tutorial* Oilcloth Bowl Covers


So, I have these really great wooden bowls that I absolutely L-O-V-E. They can go in the fridge, in the microwave, in the dishwasher. You can drop them on the floor and they literally bounce back. I ordered them from King Arthur Flour years ago and they've just been my faves. Here's the problem, though....plastic wrap absolutely will not cling to it, even aluminum foil struggles to stay in place. Well, about a month ago my LQS got some lovely Anna Maria Horner Oilcloth in stock and the light bulb over my head flashed on as I remembered the plastic bowl covers that my mom used to use. These are SO easy to do, you probably don't need a tutorial, but hey, it was easy enough to take pictures of the process, so here ya' go! And seriuosly, I'd choose YOUR ChexMix over all the other ChexMix's if they came in a bowl with a nifty cover. Yup.
Oilcloth Bowl Covers

Supplies:

1/2 yard oilcloth- this should cover 4-6 bowls, depending on size

1/4 " elastic (or around that size)

Pinking Shears (optional, also. I just like the look :))

Mixing bowls

Instructions:
1. Take the mixing bowl you would like to cover and place it, rim down, on the wrong side of the oilcloth. Trace around the bowl, adding 2 inches. I used my ruler and marked 2 inches about every 3 inches and then "connected the dots"


By all means, measure and use a compass if you can find one of the 15 you know your family has SOMEWHERE in the house.


2. Use your pinking shears to cut out the oilcloth along that line. Then mark a line 1 inch in from the outside edge. This will be your sewing line. I really just eyeballed this.

3. Now we need to measure for the elastic. Measure the circumference of the line you just drew and multiply that by 2/3 and then subtract 1 inch. For example: if your circumference measures 33" then 2/3 of that would be 22", subract 1" and your elastic measurement will be 21".

4. Mark your elastic into quarters and do the same for your oilcloth circle. This will help you in getting the elastic sewn on evenly.


5. Sew on the elastic using a zigzag stitch, stretching the elastic to match your marks.

Place the cover on your bowl and admire your work! Thanks for looking and as always, feel free to ask any questions!

4 comments:

Aimee said...

What a wonderful idea! I have some bowls that could use covers like that. Thank you!

Leslie said...

this is such a cool idea....

Kristen said...

I just discover oilcloth last week. Great idea!

Marcia said...

Great idea! Thanks for sharing. I do a favorite Friday blog find at my blog and am including you this Friday.