Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Flat Out Bowl Holders

      
I came up with this idea last Christmas when making gifts.  As usual I took a lot longer trying to find a quicker way to make some bowl holders.  It may be just a tad quicker, but definitely these holders don't take up as much space when you store them flat unlike the bowl holders you see all over the internet. They also have a multi-use since they can be used as a hot pad to set a dish on.
 
 
 
 
 
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*A Tutorial Tuesday*
 


You'll need three 12½ inch squares.
Some say buy the special batting that is heat resistant.
I took a microwavable plate and bowl that I was not fond of, 
placed the fabrics on the plate and set a bowl of water on top of the fabrics.
I ran the microwave for 1, 2 & 3 minutes which is usually the amount of time I heat something to eat.
Any warmer and it's too hot to eat.
I had no problem with my fabrics including lining which I got from the blanket with arms I never used.
(Cleaned of course.)


 Fold to meet corner and find middle,
place a pin at the 1 ½ inch point.
Do all for sides.
Treat the lining and back fabric as one and pin all 4 sides in the same manner as above.


Now they look something like this.
Lay all the pleats in the same direction & pin.
Pleats on the backing/lining will all lay in the other direction.


 
Transfer pins to go through all layers.
Keep pleat fold straight and place the folds side by side.
It looks like a lot of pins, but the pleats need to be held
and I use one in each corner.  



I help myself to remember to stop by placing 2 pins side by side. Red would have made sense for stop, but I didn't have 2 red pins.  Instead of turning at the corners, I over stitched the corners.
I began at the red pin and stitch all around the square about 1/4 inch or using the edge of my machine's walking foot.
WAIT.... do you see a mistake?  When I step on the gas, the fabric went nowhere.
Separate between fashion fabrics to pull inside out.
My aluminum knitting needle is still the best thing for pushing out corners.

Press the edges very well, pulling out the seam as much as possible.
Fold in opening to match the seam.
Top stitch all around.
I used the white part of my walking foot instead of the edge of the walking foot.
So that's slightly less than the quarter inch.


Then you have yourself a "Flat Out Bowl Holder."


Stack a bunch and they'll fit right in a drawer.


When you're ready to use them, just punch it out.
 Most any size bowl will fit.
 This is my more shallow Corelle bowl.


 My Mother's little serving bowl.



I gave a set to my friend for Christmas.
She later sent me a picture saying, "I love it!"
It fit her bowl. 
Of course like us, it had to be blue and white fabric.
We are UK(entucky) fans.

The corners help pick the bowl up from the microwave.
 And you can just use it as a hot pad.

So make yourself a quick set of "Flat Out Bowl Holders" for 
yourself and your friends.
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Related Post:

Flat Out Bowl Holders from Wash Clothes

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Sew Cute Tuesday

29 comments:

  1. Love this idea, Joy. I'll have to make me some if these...

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  2. I could do with some of these, Joy, for when I'm eating and watching TV.

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  3. Thanks for sharing, Great Idea.

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  4. Great idea to make it flat! Just a caution though: if you ever put these in the microwave with the bowl in it, make sure that all materials are 100% cotton.

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    1. Thanks for the warning Carla. Did you see how I tested the material for heat? (After the 2nd picture above.)

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  5. That's clever! I'll keep your tutorial in mind, for when I finally decide to make some. :-)
    Thank you for participating to my Fabric, Thread and Yarn link party. Have a good day!

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  6. Wow! Thank you! These are so clever! Cheaper than always using 2 of my Vanity napkins! Much prettier too!
    May I ask if you've used quilters cotton versus fleece with the same results? I would use Insul-bright in that case since the fabric is much thinner than fleece. :)

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    1. Do not use insulbrite....it has metal particles embedded &may spark.

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  7. I want to make some of these, but I'm concerned about what to put in the middle. Would the insulated batting be ok? Or could I use woollen blanketing? Or even just polyester batting?

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    1. Please see the notes under the first picture of the tutorial that explains how I tested the material to see if it would withstand being in a microwave.

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    2. I have made a style of microwave bowl cozy for a couple of years and err on the safe side using all cotton fabric, 100% cotton thread and cotton batting with no scrim(stiffener), no glue. Never polyester for any part. Newer microwaves can easily melt materials and have started fires IF a bowl is inside the cozy. If you gift these as gifts or sell them at a bazaar, for example, it's best to emphasize how to use them safely. By the way I find it's easiest to use opposite corners of the cozy to lift up the bowl of soup.

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    3. Please be aware that anything will burn if left in the microwave too long. Even cotton, which is a natural fiber, can get too hot. It is not inflammable. I would still test as I have mentioned in this tutorial.

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  8. I am going to try to make some of these. My husband is always running off with my potholders to put under his bowl of soup so he can hold it! Wouldn't have to microwave these to use them would you? And in the summer they would be good for holding a bowl of ice cream.

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    1. Marj you are exactly right. You don't have to use then in the microwave. I've used towels for a long time to hold my bowls, but I like these much better than a towel which I can use a an eco friendly napkin.

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  9. Do you have any problem with the corners hitting the sides of a microwave with a turntable? I know if a popcorn bag is the slightest off center it won't turn inside the microwave.

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    1. I haven't tried them on a turntable. However, the holder pretty much can be snugged "up" against the bowl. I have a microwave drawer which gives me lots of space.

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  10. DO NOT USE INSUL-BRIGHT! Use ALL COTTON MATERIALS...thread, batting(no scrim, fabric...

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  11. This is a ridiculously brilliant idea! My kids heat soup almost daily. I won't get them done for Christmas presents, but Valentines Day is just around the corner.
    Thank you from my kids and my kitchen.

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  12. Thank you for sharing your ingenious idea. I will surely be doing this for myself and friends.

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    1. Thanks Henrietta for checking out this post. I'd love to know how your bowl holders will turn out. We use them a lot.

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  13. Lovely i will try to find the material and if i do i will do some for christmas presents for some friends

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  14. I just wish you would have made the demo with three (3) very different and distinct colors. Sometimes it was hard for beginners to follow the blue on blue.

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  15. Been making the standard bowl cozies. Tried this method and love it! Much faster to make once you get the hang of it - less measuring and fussing. Big plus that they stack flat

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  16. This is so cool! I have been making 'traditional' bowl cozies and can't wait to try this pattern. It looks so much easier and actually more sensible!
    Thank you.

    Ann

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    1. Ann, I would love to hear how yours turn out. Mine have been washed multiple times from Mr. G spilling chilling all over them. I really miss him being around doing that.

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