Monday, May 24, 2010

picnic bowl cover strap: how to

pinic bowl cover
Picnic and potluck invitations are springing up like the daisies out back. As I slipped our family's contribution into a special bowl Saturday night, I knew that I didn't want to cover it with aluminum foil... but how could I protect it for transport? Pretty presentation always makes me happy. A draped dishcloth works in a pinch, but it often slips into the salad or off the bowl. I used an extra large rubber band to secure it and felt super clever. Doesn't it look pretty?
picnic bowl cover 3
I was so inspired that the next day I made a stretchy band that could serve as the permanent strap for all of our picnic bowls. I was about to use something from my scrap basket, when I spotted this red checkered shirt I recently acquired from the Salvation Army. It had picnic written all over it!
picnic bowl strap
The fun part was realizing that the strip that held the buttons is a perfect channel for housing elastic. I just sliced it off, stripped it of buttons, and inserted a little length of elastic.
picnicbowl strap 2
I connected the two ends of elastic with a few stitches, but didn't bother to sew the fabric tube together.
picnic strap 4
This gives plenty of room for stretching over large sized bowls. Love it! Obviously, you can sew a little tube out of any fabric scrap, but if you happen to have a large button down shirt: super fast! What a great way to show off our favorite linens... Ready for picnic season!
picnic presentation Pin It

47 comments:

  1. CLEVER!!!

    Thank you for the inspiration! :)

    Hugs,
    Bird

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  2. So fun, and what was in the bowl looks fabulous too!

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  3. Thanks! The salad was one of our standard potluck dishes: Southwest quinoa salad. It's delicious and pleases most everyone. Maybe a recipe coming... we'll see, I never measure anything with this one.

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  4. NUM! The salad looks delish! Your bowl cover is so neat and I love the color!

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  5. What a great idea! In the absence of a beautiful vintage linen collection I'm afraid I usually end up going the foil route, but now I'm inspired to get collecting, and sewing!

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  6. What a smart idea! You have successfully spruced up a rather boring bowl cover. The food will look yummier even before you get to open the bowl! :)

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  7. That is just brilliant - I just love it!!!

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  8. love that you can use this strap with all kinds of different towels and its not just the same bowl cover every time! :)

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  9. Oh you are BRILLIANT!
    I just made a big bowl of chicken salad for a baby shower this weekend that I MacGruber'd some parchment and tape to cover...this would have been so much more fun! LOVE it!

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  10. Very ingenious, Maya! And the end result is so cheery! Funny, because I just used the placket off a thrift shirt to make a "show" patch on my son's jeans. I used it because of it's double thickness. Next time I will try a casing!

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  11. Ooh I've been looking all morning for a good quinoa salad recipe...then happened on this. Maybe you would be so kind as to post it soon? Looks delish!

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  12. thanks mountain girl, I'll try to post it tomorrow. it is a good one to share.

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  13. Dear Maya,
    thank you so much for this idea and the beautiful pictures! You allways make art out of common things, I like this very much in your pictures :-)

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  14. So simple and clever! (eyeing my husband's closet...hmmm, does he really wear all these shirts?)

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  15. You are such a smarty! I love this idea. I like to take pies and do not like to cover them with plastic wrap or foil because the crusts don't stay flaky. This would be the perfect solution. I'm so glad you shared this idea.

    Jody

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  16. Gumbo Lily,
    You're right! Perfect for pies! I also don't like touching the edges of those fragile crusts, and this strap could sit below them. Thanks for this additional idea!

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  17. Yes! I love the little beautiful touches that are also super functional!
    I will be making one myself today!

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  18. a simple beautiful idea. i've often put a plate on top of my pyrex bowls to store things in my fridge, i think my pyrex would prefer something pretty like this.

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  19. very impressive and the food looks delicious!

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  20. This is such a fabulous and "green" way to start off the summer! I love this idea....no more wasteful usage of tin foil and seran wrap!!

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  21. Oh, my mother-in-law is going to literally FLIP when she sees this!!! Great idea, thanks ;-)

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  22. Picnic bowl scrunchies... brilliant and inspired! I never have rubber bands that big when I need them. This is such a great solution!

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  23. You are a genius. Pure genius.

    margie

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  24. brilliant! now why didn't i think of that... love it!

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  25. Perfect - nothing more to say... Thanks for share your idea.

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  26. Oh I love this! The salad looks like a work of art to start with and then the linens you've used are so beautiful. Such a clever idea! I love the upcycling of the shirt : )

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  27. Simple and useful... two of my favorite words. Thanks for sharing this brilliant idea! I'll be making some myself and linking on Facebook.

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  28. What a resourceful idea! I'm going to go make one right now!

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  29. Absolutely fabulous, and I am going to tll everyone I know who sews about it! THANKS!!!

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  30. i'm definitely going to make some fabric scrunchies for kitchen use!

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  31. I love this idea too! Now I can't wait to go to the flea market for vintage fabrics.... thank you!

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  32. I love love love this idea. Everyday I try more and more to turn our home into a green living home (and we are doing great) and just the other day I was trying to figure out how to cover my bowls (now that most of my re-used plastic covers are falling apart- no worries I've recycled every bit of them.) So this is perfect!!! Thank you for the great idea.

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  33. This is wonderful!! I hate using up foil or plastic wrap to cover a dish. Your version is so much better for the earth, AND so much prettier!!

    Kristen from Thyme at Home sent me a link to your project, which I posted over at Craft Gossip Sewing:
    http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-elastic-strap-to-hold-a-reusable-fabric-cover-on-a-picnic-dish/2010/06/15/

    --Anne

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  34. Brilliant! Truly brilliant and so much easier than sewing bowl covers (although I am just love in love with that idea as well!). What a great re-purpose as well!

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  35. This is so clever, thank you for sharing!!!

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  36. I like practic ideas like yours, when I saw this lovely idea, shared it at my blog with your link just in time, I am so so sorry, I have to ask you before share it, but I saw your attention later, sorries pls :(

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  37. Thanks for sharing! I've posted a link on my blog, The Handmade Experiment http://wp.me/pkcUM-Of. Feel free to grab a button to share the link love. Have a great week!

    Emily

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  38. What is that salad? It looks DELICIOUS!

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  39. HI Maya....I manage a tut quilting blog, in the month of april our theme for the whole month is kitchen stuff..this would be a perfect one to share..if interested ....we have a fairly large following, they would just love your tut.

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  40. Hey Maya! I love your idea for this Picnic Bowl Strap Cover. I recently published a blog post about perfect picnic ideas and included a link to your fab project. Go check it out! http://stitchandunwind.com/fun-picnic-ideas/

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  41. love this!! any idea about how long of a length of elastic you used? definitely will be making one of these for the spring! :) thanks!

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  42. Amei! Vou tentar fazer também!!!
    Obrigada pelas dicas tão valiosas!!
    Beijo!! :D

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