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Greetings, friends! It’s Belinda from Blue Ribbon Designs, and I’m so happy to welcome you back to the Therm O Web blog with a fresh, summery project inspired by blooming gardens and classic seasonal hues. If you love flowers and timeless color palettes, this Blissful Bloom Fabric Bowl is a lovely way to bring a soft, handcrafted touch into your home. With a fresh mix of red, white, blue, and green, this design feels perfectly at home for summer—whether displayed on a table, in a sewing space, or as part of your seasonal décor.
This project is especially wonderful for beginners because the technique is incredibly forgiving—no stress, just fun! Whether your seams are perfectly precise or a little more relaxed, everything comes together beautifully in the end. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to make the project truly your own by choosing your favorite fabrics and color combinations. Go bold and bright, soft and floral, or anything in between—this bowl will reflect your personal style in the loveliest way.
One of the best parts? This versatile, medium-sized fabric bowl can be used in so many ways! It’s perfect for holding yarn or needle felting tools, organizing your sewing or stitching supplies, or even adding a decorative touch to your guest bathroom filled with washcloths or hand towels. You can also use it for lotions, makeup, or even snacks for a sunny afternoon treat. It’s a pretty and practical piece you’ll reach for again and again.
For this project, I’ll be using the NEW Bliss 100% Cotton Batting for Jelly Rolls, which gives the bowl a soft yet structured finish that’s just right. You’ll also need 6 jelly roll strips of fabric, making this a perfect project for those precuts you’ve been saving—or a great excuse to pick out a new, summery bundle!
So let’s get creative and stitch up something beautiful! Gather your favorite fabrics and supplies, and follow along as I show you how to create your very own Blooming Bliss Fabric Bowl—a cheerful, flower-inspired project that’s as enjoyable to make as it is to use.
What you need:
How to Make One Fabric Bowl
Finished Size: 10½” L x 9” W x 5” H (finished sizes may vary)
1. Download and print the Blissful Bloom Fabric Bowl PDF.
Blissful Bloom Fabric Bowl – A Project for the Therm O Web Blog
Print at actual size – do NOT “fit to page” or “shrink to fit.”
Print on standard printer paper.
2. Sew the six fabric strips together to create one long continuous length. You may use either straight seams or diagonal seams—both work well (for this tutorial, I used straight seams).
To begin, place two fabric strips right sides together and sew along one short end. Press the seam open. Continue adding strips in the same manner, pressing each seam open as you go, until all six strips are joined into one long strip. Add the green fabric strip last (it will be the final section of the fabric tube added to the bowl to form the stem of the flower).
3. Prepare the batting and fabric strips. Leave the Bliss for Jelly Rolls 100% Cotton Batting on the roll. Slide a dowel or chopstick through the center of the roll and place it in a bucket or basket. This simple setup allows the roll to rotate smoothly as you work and eliminates the need to measure and cut a long length of batting ahead of time.
Place the long fabric strip in the bucket or basket as well, and position it on the floor in front of your sewing machine. This keeps everything neatly contained and feeding smoothly as you sew.
4. Enclose the fabric end. Center the batting on the wrong side of the fabric strip, leaving about ½"–1" of excess fabric at the end (make sure you do not start with the green fabric end, as you want that section to be added last). Fold the fabric end over the batting to enclose the raw edges. Use SpraynBond Basting Adhesive Spray to hold the folded end securely in place.
5. Create the fabric tube. Keeping the batting centered on the wrong side of the fabric, fold both raw edges of the fabric inward so they meet in the center over the batting. Then fold the entire strip in half lengthwise, enclosing the raw edges neatly inside.
Tip: A tool like the Clover Fabric Tube Maker makes this step quick and effortless (it’s what I used for this tutorial), but folding the strip manually as you sew works perfectly well, too.
6. Sew the fabric tube. Using your sewing machine, stitch down the entire length of the long folded strip, folding as you go and keeping the batting centered as you advance. Use a standard straight stitch set at 2.5–3. You may sew along the folded edge or stitch directly down the center—for my samples, I stitched down the center.
Choose a coordinating thread by selecting a favorite color from your fabrics (for my sample, I used a blue thread). As mentioned earlier, this technique is very forgiving, and those visible stitches add to the handmade charm of the finished bowl.
As you approach the end of the strip set, trim the batting slightly shorter. Fold the excess fabric over the batting (again, using SpraynBond Basting Adhesive Spray to hold it in place) to enclose the raw edges. Continue folding and stitching all the way to the end.
7. Create the bowl base. Take the end of your fabric tube and fold about 3” tightly against the strip to begin forming a flat coil—this creates the center bottom of your bowl. Use a Wonder Clip to hold it in place if needed. Position the tube so the folded edges are on the inside of the coil and the single finished edge is on the outside; this will give your bowl a clean, polished look along the top edge later on.
Secure the center by stitching with a wide zigzag stitch (I used a 6.0 width x 1.6 length—be sure to test on a sample to find what works best for you). Start at the folded center and sew toward the open ends, making sure your zigzag stitch catches both sides of the fabric tube.
As you reach the end of the folded section, begin wrapping the long strip around the coil and continue stitching to build the base. Continue sewing the coiled tube around the center. As you sew, position the fabric so it looks like the number "9" (with the growing bowl on the outside of your machine). For my sample, I sewed through the entire first print in my fabric tube and continued around one time with the second print to complete the base, which measured approximately 5¾” in diameter.
Keep the oval base as flat as possible as you stitch.
8. Shape the bowl sides. Gently tilt the growing spiral upward so it feeds vertically into your sewing machine rather than lying flat. Continue stitching with a zigzag, and the sides will naturally begin to cup upward, forming the bowl shape.
Keep adding the fabric tube until you reach the beginning of one of the long sides of your bowl and have about 8"–10" of the green fabric tube remaining (for my sample, I went around the top edge one full time with the green section). Stop sewing, secure your zigzag stitching well, and remove the bowl from the machine.
9. Create the stem. Bring the end of the fabric tube down and around the front of the bowl, centering it on the front, and pin in place. This will form the stem of your flower.
Using a straight stitch, sew the tube in place, following the existing stitching line on the fabric tube. Be sure to secure both ends well. Stitch approximately ¾ of the way across the front of the bowl, leaving space for the flower bloom. Trim away any excess fabric tube.
10. Create the flower bloom. Using the templates included in the PDF pattern along with SpraynBond Pattern & Stencil Spray, cut one large flower (the sample uses red), one smaller flower (the sample uses white), and leaves (if desired) from wool felt.
Center and layer the large flower, smaller flower, and center button, then sew them together using a needle and coordinating thread, stitching through the button holes to secure all layers.
11. Attach the flower. Attach the flower to the end of the fabric stem on the front of the bowl using HeatnBond Fabric Fuse Liquid Adhesive.
Repeat this process to attach leaves, if desired.
You may choose to hand stitch the flower in place; however, due to the thickness of the layers, I found it much easier and just as effective to use HeatnBond Fabric Fuse Liquid Adhesive.
I hope this Blissful Bloom Fabric Bowl tutorial has inspired you to gather your favorite fabrics and create something both beautiful and practical for your home. Whether you’re stitching one for your sewing space, organizing everyday essentials, or adding a fresh seasonal touch to a tabletop or guest room, this project is a wonderful way to combine creativity and function. It’s amazing how a simple jelly roll, a bit of stitching, and the softness of Bliss Batting can come together to create something so charming!
I also hope you discovered just how approachable and forgiving this technique can be. It’s perfect for beginners, and just as enjoyable for experienced sewists looking to relax and play with color and texture. Don’t hesitate to experiment with different fabric combinations, try new color palettes, and truly make your bowl your own. Each one turns out a little differently—and that’s part of the fun!
Thank you so much for joining me today on the Therm O Web blog for my newest project tutorial. For more creative inspiration, visit my website or follow along on Instagram—and be sure to tag me with your finished bowls. I’d love to see your creations! Until next time, happy sewing!
Written by Belinda Karls-Nace
