Ironing Board Cover How-to~

Making the ironing board cover was super easy. I chose a thick cotton fabric from Ikea. I liked the print and the weight of the fabric. The price point was fantastic, at $6.99 per meter it made it very affordable.

When choosing fabric for an ironing board you need to remember that an iron heats up to a high heat and the fabric you choose needs to withstand high heat. That is why cotton or a linen would make a great choice. Also keep in mind to choose a colour-fast fabric. When you use steam and heat you don't want the print to transfer to the clothing you are ironing.

Supplies: 

*fabric of your choice 

*scissors

*pins

*sewing machine

*thread

*ribbon long enough to make a

drawstring 

*some patience or strong coffee (I always have a cup on hand)

The fabric was 150 cm wide (60 inches) and was wide enough that the length of the ironing board fit across the width of the fabric. All I needed was about 50 cm length of fabric. I cut out a rectangle about 3 inches larger all around using the ironing board as a template. 

*Note: I use metric and standard measurements interchangeably - after living in both the US and Canada I am totally mixed-up!

Next I traced the curves of the top and bottom of the board leaving an extra 3 inches of fabric around.

After ironing and pinning a hem of about 5/8 ", I sewed a casing for the ribbon to go through. 

I cut a length of ribbon that was about 1 meter longer than the perimeter of the ironing board (never thought you would have to ever whip out the geometry knowledge again - did you?) Using a safety pin I "threaded" the ribbon into the casing. This took a while and you need a lot of patience. Make sure you really secure the safety pin into the ribbon so you don't lose it in the casing and have to start all over like I did. 

Then lay the cover over your board (I placed it on top of the previous cover because it came padded) and pull the ends of the ribbon to cinch the cover over the board. Tie up the ends of the ribbon and then....

...happy ironing!

Linking to:
Make it Monday at Cottage Instincts
Transformation Thursday at the Shabby Chic Cottage
Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous
Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest