I travel a lot. For the last few years, I have wanted to create mini collapsible fabric bowls to use in my hotel rooms. I’ve often thought they would be perfect travel companions and hold all my little stuff. I could keep one on the bedside table, one on the bathroom vanity and one by the TV or hotel room door. The bowls would be a drop spot for my earrings, car keys, room keys, chapstick, lipgloss.. When it’s time to hit the road, they would pack flat and not take up too much room in my luggage.
I finally had some down time and made a few bowls.
The pattern is available as a free download in my online store.
Materials Needed:
- Cotton Fabric -this is a great fat quarters project
- Ultra Firm Fabric Stabilizer – Pellon 71F Peltex 1-Sided Fusible
- Disappearing fabric ink pen
- Velcro
- Fabric glue
- Quilting ruler
- Sewing machine and related supplies
- Iron and ironing board
- Wonder clips – optional, use in place of pins
Let’s get sewing!
- Cut 2 fabric bowl pieces – 1 lining and 1 outside
- Cut stabilizer pieces
- Lay stabilizer pieces down onto the OUTSIDE fabric bowl pattern piece. Leave a scant 1/8″ gap between each piece. Remember to lay these on the backside of the fabric, place the rough/pebbly side facing down. Place a piece of fabric on top and press each small piece in place with a hot iron.
- Clip into all corner seam allowances. Turn and roll the seam allowances towards the backside/interfacing. Press in place with an iron. Use a fabric glue stick at the edges help hold in place.
- With wrong sides facing each other, place the fabric bowl pieces together. Adjust so that the seam allowances are even at all sides. Trace along the outside edge with a disappearing fabric pen.
- Place the outside fabric bowl piece to the side. Following the disappearing fabric pen line, turn and roll the towards the backside. This is similar to step 4, without having interfacing on the backside of the fabric. Press in place with an iron. Place the fabric bowl pieces together, wrong sides together. Press again with an iron.
- Pin at edges. Place into sewing machine and stitch together around outside edge. Take out of sewing machine. Gently fold along the gap between the interfacing. Using the disappearing fabric pen, draw a line in each gap. Draw all lines. Place into sewing machine and stitch following lines. Remember to backstitch when stopping at each edge.
- Cut 4 small pieces of Velcro, each measuring 1/2″. Pull apart and place at the corner pieces, as close to the top edge as possible. Pin in place if needed. Place into sewing machine and sew all Velcro in place.
That’s it! What do you think? Hard or easy to make?
There are so many uses! While I plan to bring them along for my travels, there are many options for around the home. We have these mini ABC books and the bowls hold them perfectly.
How about napkins for an upcoming party?
Don’t you just love the fabric I used? A few weeks ago I bought a Lapis Hipster by The RBD Designers for Riley Blake Designs fat quarter bundle. It’s the first time I bought a fat quarter bundle and it has been great having so many options for coordinating fabric in my stash!
Ps. Want to know the inspiration for the pattern? You’ll never guess what I used..Click here to see more.
Happy Sewing!
Brilliant! Where were these all those times I’ve been in hotel rooms??
Isn’t that the truth? This will be great for all those little things that roll under the bed. Hope you had a great birthday!
You really do have the best ideas!
Thanks Ann! I appreciate you always stopping by!
Wow. I had no idea that’s how you would have made these! So cool and clever. Thank you for sharing at our Link It or Lump It party!
Hi Amy. Thanks for stopping by. They are super easy to make and can hold so many little things around the house.
I love the simplicity involved in creating these. It looks really simple, easy, and fun to do in a short period of time. I would definitely use one of these, and am very excited to have found this tutorial. Thanks!
Hi – thank you for stopping by. You will be amazed at how easy they are to make. I will have the pattern to share in about a week, so this will make sewing them even easier! 🙂 I will email you when the pattern goes up.
That is so cool!!
Yay! Thanks so much for stopping by. They are really fun and EASY to make 🙂
Love these and am featuring them tomorrow at our link party. Be sure to stop by and grab a feature button!
http://www.delineateyourdwelling.com/2014/02/link-it-or-lump-it-no-27.html
These are so cute and functional. When you don’t need them they can lay flat for storage. So smart!
Wow! Looks easy enough for amatures like me. 🙂 thanks for sharing this tutorial. Am so going to make this in different size: stackable for my boys WIP Lego projects! Hope you’d share your pattern soon so I could give a shout out to my stitchy friends. 🙂
Sounds great! I love the idea of using for the WIP lego projects. I will email and let you know when the pattern is ready.
Cool, I was looking to buy one of these but now I am going to be making one! YAY! Thanks for the tutorial!
I think this is such a fantastic idea !! How you came up with the idea, is amazing, plus it’s something that will work; not take up much space, and best of all “work for you.” I don’t travel a lot but I can see other uses as well. Can’t wait to try this project. Linda a retired lady in CA.
Hi- thank you so much for your comment. I’ve been on the road this week and used my little bowl in my hotel room and loved it. It warms my heart to know that people find my stuff useful as well 🙂 I really appreciate the feedback!
Wow those are amazing! I love it! Thanks for sharing.