Improved Ironing Board

I got this ironing board frame for free, but it didn't come with a cover. I wanted to set up a second ironing board near my sewing machine so I didn't have to trek up 2 sets of stairs.

How do you like my fancy rug covering the basement concrete floor? I've tried to fix up my sewing space, but there ain't much I can do with concrete walls and floors.


At work, I googled "ironing board cover tutorial" and found a few sites that showed how to sew a cover.

Of course I didn't buy enough fabric, (because I didn't measure before going to the store) so I had to piece the fabric together to get the right length. I was annoyed with myself, but turns out I can't even see the seam once it was all done.

I laid the board over the fabric and traced the shape with a Sharpie permanent marker. Probably should have used a fabric pencil, but the green didn't bleed through the fabric. Lucky me. Then I added 3 inches all around and cut the shape out. I did a really lousy job sewing the "casing", which is basically a seam just big enough to thread a string through. Sewing those corners was really tricky. I just did the best I could, and surprisingly didn't mess it up. I slipped the string through using the old trick my mom taught me: tie the string around a safety pin and slooooowly push it around the entire length.

Now, here's where it gets interesting....I decided to use an old mattress pad for the cushioning. Whew! I love re-purposing things instead of trashing them! I traced the ironing board shape onto the pad and cut it out. Then I layered the mattress pad, a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil and the brand new cover. I pulled the string tight, and was thrilled to see it actually covered the board. I read somewhere that foil makes ironing easier because it heats up the fabric from the bottom too. It makes a crinkly sound, but seems to work. I'll try anything that makes ironing faster!