Sunday when I woke up I said “absolutely no sewing today”. I never say that. I’m usually more of a mindset to say, “sewing all day”!!
I had let the sewing room lag. It needed dusting and vacuuming. The garbage needed changing. It was time to give it a little attention.
I had some things that needed to find a home…needed to get hung up and finally did it all.
My floor was covered with little fabric trimmings…
I hung the pictures that have the darker frames and I traded out my big fusible applique Country Threads picture.
Here is a close-up of that. Oh, I loved making this. I have them done for every season.
Long ago I did craft shows and made pieces like this and sold them. I have gotten rid of most of them. This one I happened to still have. He got hung.
Kayla had picked up a few treats for me. This little crocheted chicken egg warmer found a home here…At Easter time I’m going to look for an egg that is flat on one side and see if I can put this over one.
Kayla found these vintage calico green chickens…so cute.
I found the red tin with yellow roses. Red is my all-time favorite color and yellow roses were my mom’s favorite.
Kayla also found the little red suitcase. So cute.
Then there was this…UGH. My ironing board was LONG ago needing a new cover. Double UGH.
Just look at it!! Connie that super sweet girl was so kind and made me one but it doesn’t fit this ironing board. Mine is an old ironing board. Kramer bought it for me at an auction. I love it but…the traditional covers don’t fit it. You know what that means…I have to make one.
I’ve made them in the past but I really don’t like doing it. Making them isn’t hard…it’s simply time at the machine when I could be making a quilt!
Today was the day. I wasn’t putting it off any longer. Whatever fabric I had here was going to be the fabric I used. Being red is my accent color for the room I thought I’d make it red. None of these reds looked good with the fabric-covered top of this dresser.
So I looked and found this gray with polka dots.
I don’t remember if this came from a blog reader or if this was from the thrift store. Someone had made a table cloth or curtain from the fabric.
I took the old cover off and used it as a pattern of sorts. I LOVE the cover that was on it. It fit great and never slipped off. So my plan was to style it the same way with the little second piece that goes over the end. I cut out the two pieces.
I sewed them right sides together and checked the fit.
Then I hemmed the edges over making a casing.
Then it was time to find my Purple Thing. I love this for putting elastic or cord through to make a draw string.
Only problem…I couldn’t find it..well, I found this one first. It’s a similar concept. I used it to feed some elastic through the casing.
I popped the cover on and WOW…why did I wait so long?? I LOVE it!
I’m a huge polka dot fan and the color is good…PERFECT. No more nasty ironing board cover for me!! It took me 45 minutes to make one. Seriously, why did I wait so long???
I think too often I get so focused on the projects I want to make and finish that I don’t take enough time to make the sewing room look nice and be a pleasant place to work in. I got everything done that I could think of doing so I think tomorrow I’ll be back to quilting. I’m so glad I took my sewing time and put it into a refresh of the room instead. Now I wish I would do that for every room in the house. That might be an idea.
So tell me, are there others out there that need to recover their ironing board?? Curious minds want to know…
oh dear, i currently have a cover on my ironing board just like your old one. BUT it does not have the extra piece . It definitely needs replacing as well . Your polka dot looks great and the color should work without clashing with the objects you will be ironing thanks for the boost i need to look for a piece of fabric i will enjoy looking at while doing something i am most impatient with. ironing.
Jo, your ironing board looks very similar to my mother’s. Hers has the metal legs also. There is a metal ring at the wider end that you pull to release the locking mechanism so it can collapse. Maybe hers came from an auction too. My dad loved going to auctions and he always brought something home for her also. I still use my mother’s ironing board when visiting her.
My grandmother’s ironing board lives with me and is the same as you describe. It’s heavy and sturdy and I love using it!!
I haven’t had to recover my ironing board since I adopted Bonnie Hunter’s method – cover the top with a sheet of parchment paper (shiny side down). At first I didn’t think it would work for me but I love it. When the paper gets grungy, I replace it. Inexpensive way to save your cover. I love the cover you made. It really looks nice!
I’m glad none of the red fabrics worked for your new cover because…
One time I covered my little tv tray ironing table with a cute sewing themed fabric with red in it. And even though I had prewashed the fabric when I sprayed Best Press on my block the red in the fabric bled onto my block. I went back to just using the silver ironing cover fabric.
I’m surprised you don’t have a big board for your ironing board. I love mine. Makes ironing yardage so much easier. My husband made mine and while he was doing it I talked him into making 2 more for friends.
Sometimes we must take time to freshen up our sewing spaces. They should be happy places and for me that means it must be cleaned from time to time.
My husband also made me the big board and one for my friend. I too love it and it does make pressing yardage so much easier,
I have a purple Thang, but had no idea you could use it to put elastic in!! Thanks Jo!
Now make a second ironing board cover and you can switch them out to wash before they wear out!
We were married 56 years ago & Mom gave me a new metal ironing board. She redeemed her Green Stamps for it & its seen lots of use, still sturdy as the day I got it.
I inherited 2 wood ironing boards from Mom & Grandma. I removed legs from one and painted it like an American flag. Blue across the wide end with large white stenciled stars. It hangs vertically on my porch Memorial Day to Veteran’s Day. Pinterest has Fall themed board ideas so I plan to get a local artist to do that for me.
Jo, do I see rolled up doll blankets behind the red tin with yellow roses ? They look so cute.
Those are all actually baby quilts. I rolled them up and put them in an old wooden toolbox.
Just put a hole in my ironing board cover yesterday and noticed I really need to clean my iron, but I’m simply too intent on finishing Christmas quilts to spruce things up. Love the polkas though!
Great job making the cover. I am thinking about making one for my ironing board too. I was thinking of using a little heavier weight fabric but not sure.
I don’t have a traditional ironing board in my quilt room. I made a big board out of a piece of MDF that was in the box with my sewing maching cabinet. I cover it with the silver ironing board fabric found at Joanne’s and a layer of batting and staple it to the bottom of the board. I recover every couple years, and love it. It lays flat on my work table and is very stable. I have a piecce of that rubber drawer liner under it so it doesn’t scootch around.
Necessity if the mother of invention! Plus, I’m cheap and use what I have on hand!
When I clean the room I quilt in I am always surprised by what fabric pieces I find. A smaller piece always slides down under the rest. Sometimes that is all I need to begin another quilt.
I lay a bath towel on top of my ironing board. It protects the cover, absorbs moisture and heat, and can easily be washed. I also like it if I’m pressing an appliqued or embroidered piece. I lay those pieces face down onto the towel and press from the back side.
I’ve needed to recover my Big Board for about 5 years now. Your new ironing board cover looks AWESOME!!! The gray with polka dots is a fun addition to your room.
I don’t have an ironing board. I have a ironing table my Daddy bought me. It is like an ironing board. It has to be recovered. There is room to iron yardage, layout sets, sort fabric, do backing, and it stays the right height. Love it.
A great reminder that taking time for the little things really makes a difference.
I have a handed down board like the one Martha described, but I’ve never had terrible getting a cover that fits. I also have an in the wall board in my kitchen wall. That one is a toughie. It’s original to our house and has an additional little board, for sleeves maybe, that can be brought down. I need to make a cover for those. It has a too big cover currently. And Green Stamps! I was just thinking about those the other day haha!
I have a big board my Dad made me. I used 1 inch gingham check to make my cover. I can use it as a “eyeball” measure with out getting out a measuring tape.
I too have an old ironing board that is wooden. It belonged to a great aunt. She was short so I have risers under the feet so I don’t end up with a back ache. I have to make covers for it because store bought ones aren’t big enough. The last one I made I used an old sheet that is 100% cotton but it wasn’t cool too sleep under. I like the idea of putting that piece on the end to help it stay on. I also like the ideas that others have mentioned of making a second one while it is still fresh in your mind – could even be the same fabric! I’ve not tried the freezer paper on my board I may have to try that. If all I am doing is ironing quilt pieces, I turn the board around so I am ironing on the square end and the iron rests on the narrow end, just be careful you don’t knock the iron off.
Love the cover Bonnie Hunter puts a lengthy of freezer paper over her ironing boards at the Inn to protect the cover. They get changed out after each retreat
I tried it and really like it especially when I spray starch.
I covered my ironing board with wool felt but have scorched it so need to put fabric over it but keep putting it off!!
I have several ironing boards and most are older and wider than the modern ones. Why so many? I don’t have a dedicated sewing area but keep an ironing board in just about every room I may find myself sewing in. They also make a great extra table when sorting craft supplies/fabric. Do they need new covers? Absolutely! Time to pull out some of that yardage I’ll probably never use.
Wash your fabric before making a cover (or atleast before iorning on it). The sizing in the fabric is what scorches. And spray starch/sizing doesn’t help. I cover my “big board” with the silver non-padded stuff.
Yes, my ironing board cover has definitely seen better days. It’s an odd shape, like yours – mine came from England & is oversized, which means I’ll need to make a new cover for it. Just like you, even though I know it won’t take much time, I’m sure it will be months before I get to it!
Oh, Jo! I have the same problem with a too-big-for-purchased-covers Ironing board. Mine was a gift to me from my DH on our first Christmas 48 years ago and is still steady as a rock. I love them both! He understood how much I liked to sew back then and recently picked up a thrift shop board so I could have one upstairs, too. But…both need new covers! I have enough sewing theme “constellations” fabric for the old one and the other will have to be happy with plain white canvas. Thanks for the reminder to just sit down and get the job done…and then vacuum…and then straighten my quilting corner…and then finish the LWR quilts…and then cut some 2 1/2″ squares…and then…sew!
I just always run to Walmart when I need a new cover!! HA No way I’d make an ironing board cover..I’d buy a new ironing board first!! LOL Yours came out great and the polka dots are so cute.
my ironing board belonged to a friend’s mother. it was from wwll time and looks similar to yours. several years ago my husband made me a big board for it. i love it; it’s one of the best gifts ever. ironing quilting fabric is so much easier when you don’t have to turn it around and ironing shirts is no harder on it. i hate seeing a pattern through my light colored fabrics, so i use plain canvas or the silver ironing board cover.
aren’t we funny when we put off doing a job that turns out to not be so awful after all.
Love AL the ideas to protect. I have been using old pieces of wool. It has improved my pressing. and when it is dirty, I just toss as it was just a piece anyway. But looking at the grey/dots, I could make ……no today I am quilting.
Read your blog ( for first time): while sitting in parking lot at harbor freight waiting on on my husband who was shopping. Loved it! You r a delight!
Hi Robbie. I spent time in a Harbor Freight parking lot before…also waiting on my husband. I miss those days. Welcome to the blog. I’m glad you found us.
Does a sleeve board count? I have 2 – one from my mom and one I found at Goodwill. The Goodwill has two boards back to back (small and smaller) so I’m seriously considering jettisoning my mother’s if I could find someone who wanted it. It has to be over 100 years old ‘cuz it belonged to her husband’s mother.
And why do we aleays have an L shaped square cut out of our ironing board covers? Last time I recovered it, it took 2 weeks for that slit to appear.
So need to clean and straighten up (reorganize really) my sewing room. Spent most of the year fighting severe eczema and allergies, then 2 week vacation. So far behind on my projects that I have let everything go in my room.
This is great! I found a nice wide ironing board at Habitat a few months ago, but have not gotten a cover on it yet!! Thank you for the ideas! I just stretched the old (too small) one on, and keep an old comforter in it so far, but that’s definitely (yours!) Is an improvement!!