I was SO tired of constantly tugging and pulling on my ironing board cover, which would pull up and roll over the top of the ironing board every time I tried to iron fabric yardage. And don’t you just want to cut off the tapered end of your sewing board? I felt like I could only press 6-inches of fabric at a time when it was lying across that end.

I found this Press-Express Oversize Ironing Surface pattern by Hedgehog Quilts when I was in my LQS shop last year. Of course, it got buried under some fabric when I got home, and I found it again a few weeks ago when I was looking for something else that I’d misplaced. DH made the board for me and I whipped up the cover. Super easy and very stable! The instructions are very clear and well written. The only thing I advise – make sure you measure the top of the ironing board before you make it – they vary in size and you may need to adjust the width of the rails underneath.

DH made it to fit the old ironing board without the cover on it, but we found it was actually more stable if we left the old cover on the ironing board base underneath – it was a much tighter fit. I used duck cloth to make the new cover, and 2 yards of duck cloth was enough for two covers. However, threading the cording through duck cloth is ….well, let’s just say it’s a bitch.  I highly advise that you thread the cord through the buttonholes before sewing the hem down!  One thing I really liked about this board was the addition of little screws at 6 points under the board to help pull the cording tighter and prevent that dreaded, annoying cover rollover. That cover is not going to move now!!

As you can see in this picture, you sew buttonholes to thread the cording through. I’ll be honest. I hadn’t used my buttonholer in so long I spent more time looking for the sewing machine manual than it took to sew them! The entire board (including the rails) is made from one piece of prefinished shelving using only a few cuts. The bullnose finish on the shelving is used for the rails, so no staining or finishing necessary. This pattern is well worth the money. Pressing yardage will no longer be a chore! Doin’ the happy dance….

Wow, that looks great!  I have to admit that I’m pretty unhappy with my ironing board right now!  Mine isn’t standard, it’s a wide width, which is nice.  But I don’t like the taper at one end, and the other end has a metal iron rest that drives me nuts.  Plus, my youngest decided to test my scissors on the elastic that holds the cover on.  I think I need to make a larger surface for my board, too!

Someone recently gave me these tips – use unwashed, un-shrunk cotton duck for your cover, spritz it with water and let it dry over night.  The cotton duck will shrink to a skin-tight fit.  She also told me the cotton duck holds your blocks as good as a Steady Betty, but for a much better price.  I’m all over that!