I love ironing. I really do. I find it very therapeutic. There is something about getting wrinkles out of fabric that is very satisfying. Give me a basket of old linens to iron and I am a happy camper!
I found this cute little ironing board at an auction earlier this spring. It had a cover on it but that didn't concern me because I usually sell them without a cover. People use them for a variety of things—Pinterest shows them used message boards or shelving in their laundry room, general decor or even for their children or grandchildren to play with now. I even saw one on Pinterest repurposed as a ghost for Halloween decor.
When I removed the existing cover, it was dirty and dusty. I cleaned the board, but it still had a film from the old padding.
It wouldn't come off easily so I decided to just make a new cover for the ironing board.
I purchased this vintage fabric from a garage sale a few weeks ago. The owner said they used to be curtains. I bought every one they had. I loved the bright and cheery essence of the fabric.
So I had never made an ironing board cover before and I certainly didn't have a pattern. So what do you do? Wing it!
I started by tracing the outline of the ironing board on the fabric with a fabric marker. Then I measured the depth of the side of the ironing board (approx 1 inch) and added a line on the fabric to accommodate the sides of the ironing board. Then I added 2.5 inches to allow for folding over to allow a tunnel for the elastic. There was no science here, only educated guesses. I didn't know if it would work or not.
I sewed around the folded area and left an opening at the end (bottom of photo) to pull through elastic.
I used 3/8" braided elastic and threaded it through the tunnel I created in the cover.
Before stitching the elastic together and sewing up the opening, I pinned it with a safety pin and tried it on the board. It worked! It fit really well. I stitched the elastic together and sewed up the opening.
It basically looked like a giant shower cap when I was finished.
I put it on the ironing board and it looked awesome! I did add a layer of cotton batting under the cover just to cushion it a bit. I doubt anyone will be ironing with this but I wanted it to feel authentic! I think the vintage fabric was a good choice for this. It really adds a lot of charm!
Now it is ready to go into the shop!
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