Some Quilty Stuff: A Cozy Bowl

 

How many times have you put a bowl in the microwave oven and when the food is finished cooking, you burn your fingers trying to take it out? Or you get it safely out, but you sing, "Oh Oh Oh!" all the way to the table? Well, this is why we make bowl cozies :)  They go perfectly into the microwave, heat up the bowl of whatever, and we can safely carry the hot bowl to the table.

They are fun and easy to make that anyone can do it. I made a few of these cozies for my nieces last Christmas and my fella grabbed up a couple for our use. They are kinda cool, so fast and easy to make, I thought it would be fun to show how they are made.

First you need a few tools. Scissors. Ruler. Marking pen. Two 10” pieces of batting and two 10” pieces of fabric.

I am using Warm and Natural batting from the Warm Company. The fabric is cute cats. You can use different fabrics for top and bottom or the same fabric. Notice how that little bear is helping me....

Take both 10 inch pieces of batting and, with a ruler, make a line from corner-to-corner. 

Then line the fabric pieces to the batting. The pretty side of the fabric out and the marked piece of batting on top.

The fabric will stick pretty well to the batting, but I suggest you put pins through both the fabric and batting simply to keep everything in place.

Sew on the X that you created on the batting. Go slowly in order to stay on the line and to keep your fabric sitting well under your batting.  Do this on both pieces of fabric and batting.

Now fold your piece of batting that is connected to your fabric and mark down two (2) inches.  Also mark over one (1) inch.  Do this on both ends.  Sew along the lines, top and then bottom.

Now mark the other sides and sew along those lines. See how the square starts to shape up like a bowl?

Clip off the "ears" 

 

Do this same thing with the other 10 inch square. Now you will have two bowl shapes :)

Put the two bowls together. One will be right-side up and the other will be right-side down.

 

Match up the seams and pin the seams where you cut off the "ears." Match up the pointed corners and pin them together.  See how it looks like one bowl, but with the batting on the outside.

Now you will sew around the top at 1/4" seam allowance.  Leave a two (2) inch opening between the center and the corner. This will be where we turn the cozy inside out.

When you get to a corner, simply leave your needle down, lift the foot, and turn the corner.  Now your needle will be in the right position to continue sewing the next side.

When you have completed sewing the top together (remembering to leave a two inch opening!), trim the corners by clipping the tops off. Be careful you don't clip the stitches!

Now is the time to turn the whole thing inside-out! Start by poking your finger into a corner and pushing it toward the opening. Do this with all four corners, gently pulling the corner out that opening. It kinda looks like an octopus but it doesn't spit ink :)

When you have all the corners outside the little gap, you need to poke out the corners to become sharper looking. I like to use a crochet hook to really get those corners out. I suggest not using scissor tips because you can poke right through the batting and fabric. Yeah, ask me how I know that one! However you do it, poke them out sharply.

Shape the cozy into a bowl shape again. Roll the seams so that they are open and flat against one another. What I mean is, try to get them as open and together as possible. Fold the opening together by folding over a quarter inch and pin the opening together.

Now we top stitch around the top. I like to make a stitch line that is smaller than a quarter inch seam but large enough to catch all the folding of the seams. About 1/8th of an inch line. This will catch that two-inch opening and close it up. And it will look just like the rest of the top stitching. And TaDa! You have the cutest little bowl cozy in the world.

Okay, lets review:

-Start with two each of 10" squares of batting and of fabric

-Mark the batting with a pen or pencil from far corners to far corners, creating an X on the batting.

-Pin the fabric to the batting, the pretty side of the fabric on the outside.

-Sew with batting side up on the X for each piece of batting.

-Fold in half and mark the top and bottom with 2" down and 1" across to form a "V." Do this for all sides on both squares.

-Sew along the V lines and trim off the "ears."

-Put the squares--now bowl shaped--together and nestle them sweetly. Pin seams and corners.

-Leave a 2" gap opening and stitch 1/4 seam around the top.

-Pull the insides out and clip the corners.

-Poke out the corners so they look pretty.

-Fold the opening closed and pin.

-Top stitch around the top, catching the opening gap.

-Eat your favorite soup!

 

And so it goes
peace~~~