Recently I spotted some cotton bowl covers on an artisanal kitchenware website that were lovely yet pricy. After a bit of searching and some trial-and-error, I settled on an easy technique to make my own unique, double-sided covers using Lightweight Cotton Twill. These covers are perfect for resting your dough for baked goods, covering pasta or salad for a picnic, or even protecting your stand mixer bowl from dust. Read on for the full how-to! 

Bowl cover on red Kitchenaid mixer next to cookie dough

What fabric should I use for this project?

You could use Petal Signature Cotton®, Organic Sweet Pea Gauze™ (a great pick for culturing kefir or kombucha) or large scraps of any woven cotton fabric for this project. I recommend Lightweight Cotton Twill as it has a luxurious texture and hand, plus it doesn’t really wrinkle so it looks and feels super high-end.

Three finished bowl covers different sizes
designs used are Navy and White Roses and Navy and White Roses II by noondaydesign

Materials

  • 2 yards of coordinating designs in Lightweight Cotton Twill (will make approx. 8+ bowl covers, (so you’ll have gifts for friends!). OR, to make approximately 2 bowl covers, you’ll need just 2 fat quarters of coordinating designs. You can also use half the amount of fabric and make half the number of covers if you use the same design on the front and back.
  • Mixing bowls
  • Washable pencil or marker
  • Cotton thread in any color—keep in mind it will show on the outside
  • Rotary cutter and mat or fabric scissors
  • Sewing machine and heavyweight needle – I used a 100/16 needle for woven fabrics
  • Small safety pin
  • 3 yards of 1/4” elastic – I used braided elastic but knit will work as well (one pack will make about four covers for 8” bowls)
  • Pinking shears or serger (optional)

Fabric yard and fat quarter laid out next to cutting mat and rotary cutter

Step 1: Prepare and measure materials

Prewash your fabric with cold water, low-heat dry, and iron it. Gather the bowls you are making covers for and put them on the reverse side of one of your pieces of fabric. Take a look to see if the bowls have a lip or not. If they do, mark out a 3” seam allowance every few inches with your washable pencil or marker. If the bowls don’t have a lip, you can measure out as little as a 2.5” seam allowance or stick with 3″ for a longer cover. Use the bowl curve as a guide to connect the measurements or simply freehand a circle between your lines with your pencil or marker.

Measuring 3 inches out from bowl

Step 2: Cut out fabric

Use your rotary cutter and mat to cut out your circle. Place that circle on your coordinating fabric to trace and cut out another circle the same size.

Cutting fabric out
My circle isn’t perfect, but I like to think it “has character.”

Step 3: Sew the outer seam

Place your fabric right sides together and pin around the edges. Sew around the edge of the circle using a 1/4” seam allowance, leaving a 2” opening. Use pinking shears to trim the excess fabric, reducing bulk and preventing fraying or, alternatively, serge around the circumference leaving the same 2″ opening.

Sewing a 1/4" edge around the circumference of the circle
Pinking shears to trim excess fabric

Step 4: Press fabric

Pull the fabric through the 2″ opening so the right sides are facing out. Press the fabric, making sure to tuck and fold the opening under.

Pressing the bowl cover with right sides out
2" opening on bowl cover folded under for pressing

Step 5: Sew the inner seam

Topstitch the fabric with a 1/2” seam allowance all the way around the circumference of the circle using a backstitch at the end to secure the threads. Clip threads. You’ve now created the channel for the elastic.

Topstitch the circumference of the bowl cover

Step 6: Add elastic

Clip a safety pin to the end of your elastic. Do not cut your elastic just yet. Begin the mind-numbing process of feeding your elastic through the 2” opening into the channel. The fabric will start to bunch up like a shower cap, which is good. Once you’re through the channel to the other side, hold the safety pin end with your hand and spread out the bunching as evenly as you can.

Safety pin with elastic attached

Step 7: Measure and sew elastic

Grab your bowl and place the cover over it. Tighten the elastic (always holding on to the safety pin) so it will be secure around the bowl. Mark your preferred length on the elastic with a pen or marker, remove the bowl cover, and then sew the elastic together. The elastic should still be inside the channel. Trim the extra elastic approx. 1/4” past your stitches.

Wrapping elastic around bowl and measuring elastic to cut
Stitching elastic ends together
Trimming the elastic
Ends can be trimmed between 1/4″ to 1/2″.

Step 8: Close opening

Tuck the elastic into the opening. Use one or two pins to hold the opening closed for added security. Stretch your fabric out gently and edgestitch with a seam allowance of 1/8” around where you left the 2” opening. Trim threads.

Edge-stitching to enclose the elastic
Holding the bowl with the finalized cover!

Now step back and admire your beautiful bowl cover! 

I made three of these in about two hours, but advanced sewists could churn them out even faster. I can’t wait to give a set of these as a bridal shower gift or make some seasonal ones to take for covered food for summer picnics or cook-outs.

Three bowls with three pretty new bowl covers
Top down angle of three new bowl covers

Oh and if you’re looking to make some delicious chocolate chip cookies, I highly recommend this recipe. I use Trader Joe’s semi-sweet chocolate chips in place of the fancy disks, but the flaky sea salt is a must.

DIY cover on stationary mixer bowl beside cookie dough on tray

Share your finished projects on social with #Spoonflower; I can’t wait to see what you create!
Suz