Sewing a fabric bowl
It’s amazingly simple and satisfying to use a length of cord and some yardage of fabric; wrap and sew them together and have a 3 dimensional object when you’re finished!
Fabric bowls are useful (maybe not for oatmeal in the morning) but offer up a limitless variety of shapes, colors and sizes for the maker. Some quilters like to make them as stash busters, but I think that if you’re in the opposite situation, that works, too. You don’t need to have a stash to make them. Just a little fabric, cotton cord, needle and thread and you’re ready to go!
There are basically two ways to make a bowl or any other coiled object. You can use a sewing machine—or not. I have a sewing machine, but I like the process of hand stitching so I would gravitate toward the simple tools.
They bowls shown here are machine stitched. Nancy’s mantra is that she loves to use her sewing machine do and would prefer to figure out how to get the machine to perform the task.
Here is a link to Nancy Wick’s blog that describes how she makes baskets. http://imapiecemaker.com/blog-2/hand-dyed-clothesline-baske.html
I also included two links that show how to make fabric bowls. One is a video using a sewing machine and the second one is step-by-step instructions with photos detailing the hand stitched version.
Both tutorials give detailed instructions on the required materials and how to get started and suggest using cotton cording. The video shows two weights of cording—clothesline and a beefier version that would be great for a rug.
With both methods, the first step is covering the end of the cord and then wrapping the cord with fabric for about four feet. The coil is not pre-measured, so it’s not cut until the basket is the size you want. When you’re ‘there’, cut the cord and leave extra fabric to wrap the end. Sew into the top or outside round and your basket or rug or coaster is complete. Embellish as you wish.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpz6VTFS0Zo
Step by Step instructions for hand stitching a fabric basket
