How to Make Fabric Bowls for Fall

Fabric bowls look soft to the touch, but are actually hard and can function as decorative bowls. I’ll show you how to make fabric bowls the easy way!

It’s a new month which means it’s time for a new monthly DIY challenge!

I’m so excited to be teaming up with some great bloggers this month for a fall challenge. Fall is my favorite month to be creative! A huge thanks to Terrie from Decorate & More with Tip for hosting these fun monthly challenges.

If you’re here from A Vintage Flare Farmhouse, welcome!

When I saw the theme for this month’s challenge, I knew exactly what I was going to make – fabric bowls.

I just love the look of fabric bowls. They look like they would be so soft when you touch them, but they’re actually hard to the touch and can function as an actual decorative bowl.

This is very similar to paper mache bowls, however, it’s using fabric scraps instead. Fabric bowls have such a unique texture and look so pretty sitting on a shelf or dresser. They’re perfect for holding anything not food-related such as jewelry, paper clips, or small bowl fillers.

Let me show you how to make fabric bowls and after my DIY tutorial you’ll find links to some more great fall DIY ideas.

How to make fabric bowls

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What you need:

• Balloons
• Fabric
• Mod Podge
• Sponge brush
• Paper or plastic cup
• Scissors

What you do:

Step 1: The first thing you do is blow up the balloons. You’ll need one balloon per bowl. Don’t blow them up too big unless you want big fabric bowls.

Step 2: The next thing you need to do is cut your fabric into squares. The exact dimensions are not important, but somewhere between 3 and 7 inches is good.

Step 3: Place your balloon inside a paper or plastic cup so it’s easier to work with and so it doesn’t roll around.

Add a generous layer of Mod Podge to the top of the balloon with a sponge brush. Place a layer of fabric over the Mod Podge. Make sure the good side of the fabric is facing down for this section. This will be the inside of the bowl – the part you’ll see.

Step 4: Add another generous layer of Mod Podge over the fabric, then place another piece of fabric on top. I put my next fabric layer opposite of the first piece.

Step 5: Keep adding Mod Podge and fabric layers until you get a thickness you like. Two of my fabric pieces were thick and the rest were thin so I did 5 layers total. End with a layer of Mod Podge.

The number of layers you choose will determine the thickness of the fabric bowls. I would recommend at least 4 layers, but you can go all the way up to as many as you want. Also, keep in mind the thickness of your fabric when choosing how many layers to do.

Step 6: Set your fabric bowls aside to dry and harden. Drying time will depend on how many layers you have. I let mine sit overnight so it would have plenty of time to completely harden.

You’ll know when it’s completely dry because it will feel dry all over and not wet or sticky. Also, when you tap on it, it should sound hard and solid.

Step 7: Once the fabric bowls have completely dried, use your scissors to pop the balloon. Then remove the bowl from the fabric.

Step 8: Cut the edges with the scissors to give the bowl more of a round shape. Keep trimming until it’s somewhat even around the bowl.

Here’s a picture of my fabric bowl from the side so you can see what the layers look like.

That’s all you need to do! Then you can use your fabric bowls any way you like.

I used mine for fall and placed tiny pumpkins and acorns inside.

Have you ever made fabric bowls before?

Now let’s see what’s going on over at Patina and Paint!

Looking for more fall DIY ideas? I recommend these:
Pumpkin Patch Sign
Fall Candle Holder
No-Sew Fall Pillows
Pumpkin Pie Fall Decor
2-in-1 Pumpkin Decor

Be sure to check out these amazing ideas from these amazing bloggers before you go:

Decorate and More with Tip
Jessica Simmons
Cloches and Lavender
Bluesky at Home
Bushra’s Lifestyle
Pretty DIY Home
A Vintage Flare Farmhouse
Blessings by Me
Patina and Paint
B4 and Afters