Thursday, May 19, 2011

Ironing Board Cover Tutorial



I bought my ironing board last August at Walmart simply because it was cheap and it fit my tight college student budget. They were all out of the pink and orange stripe so I had to settle for the blue. Then it dawned on me that I could easily make a new cover with some lovely fabric from my stash...and that's exactly what I did.

And so here we have it...




























First you'll need to remove the old cover. Mine had a little metal clasp that held the strings together. I just popped it off with a butter knife.



At this point I decided to adhere that thin piece of foam to the board itself. This isn't necessary but it made things easier when it came time to recover. I just used a smidgen of Elmer's Craft Bond Spray Adhesive. 



Now remove the long draw string from the old cover (save it, you'll use it for the new cover)  and flatten the cover out. This will serve as your pattern for the new cover. Lay down the cover on your pretty fabric and trace with a fabric marker (or just a sharpie) about 1.5" outside the border. 

                                                                        



Your fabric likely won't be long enough to accommodate the entire cover in one piece. That's alright mine wasn't either. Here's what I did. 

I marked a line on the old cover when I ran out of fabric. 


Flip the cover around and finish tracing the other side, but this time extend your tracing 1" beyond that marked line you just drew. 


Cut out the pieces you just traced and you should have something like this.  


Place right sides of fabric together and pin. 


Sew with a 1/2" inseam

Iron open the seam you just sewed. Now that you've got your cover, you just need to make your casing. Iron down a roughly 1" casing around the perimeter of the cover.

When you get to a corner you'll need to sort of smoosh the fabric down and then press. Don't worry about getting this perfect, it won't show.


Once you've pressed down the casing all around the perimeter, you'll just need to stitch it down.


Cut a small slit through the back layer of the casing (make the slit at the straight end as shown below) . Take a safety pin and tie your string to the end of it. Insert the pin into the casing and thread it all the way through. 





















Gather at the point of the cover to make a hood.


Use this to hook onto your board. Now pull the strings tight. really tight. You don't want the cover too loose or it'll be bothersome to iron on. 

And there you have it! A fresh new ironing board cover.

Ahhh so much better.








































Note- If this bothers you, or if your fabric is striped, you'll need to take care to line up your fabric accordingly. I personally didn't mind. It's hardly noticeable. 


In case you're interested, I used Amy Butler's fabric from the daisy chain line. She has such beautiful fabric.


Enjoy! 

If you decide to use this tutorial, I would absolutely love to see your pictures! 

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48 comments

Nicole@Thrifty Decorating said...

This is AWESOME! What an excellent tutorial! Thanks so much for linking to Thrifty Thursday! :)

AsylumTanya said...

My ironing board cover is wearing out. I probably only have a few months before I need to do this myself. I will come back and use this tutorial when the time comes. I am your FIRST follower. Come over to Greetings From the Asylum and follow me too!

Unknown said...

Great makeover. You remind me that my ironing board is looking REALLY bad!!

Welcome to blogging world. THis is a great tutorial. I would love for you to join me on Tuesdays at Strictly Homemade Tuesday!!! Have a great weekend!

Katy said...

Nicole, Thank you for hosting such a fabulous linky party! Love your blog!

Tanya, thanks so much! I'm so glad you found this tutorial useful. I'm your newest follower as well (:

Maridith, Ok I'll hop on over, thanks for hosting!

Bec@littlelucylu said...

Great job! I could really use this -- my ironing board just has an ugly gray cover - it's pretty hideous! :)~
Thanks so much for linking up!
~Bec :-)

Happy in red said...

This is a great tuto. I have one of those little Ikea iron boards (with a hook to hang in your closet, nifty!) and the cover is all gross. So your tuto comes at a good time!
Esther.

Seven Sisters said...

really really really need to do this! my cover is a mess! thanks for the inspiration...
♥J. sevensisters

Rachel D said...

Thanks for the tutorial! You make it look so easy!

Jessica@SewHomegrown said...

Really cute - that would almost make it fun to iron. almost.

The Autocrat: Haley said...

Oh super fabulous fabric selection!! I totally need to redo mine!

Dee ⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️ said...

Such a wonderful idea to use the fabric you like. Great directions.

Dee
Your new follower

Tonya @ Love of Family And Home said...

Very cute!! I am getting ready to re-cover mine as well since I just remodeled my laundry room! The old one just ain't cutting it!! Thanks so much for the tutorial!!

Rhiannon said...

looks great! I need to do this also, i have the most boring white with blue stripes cover on mine too... walmart, just like yours

Chef in Training said...

this looks awesome! i will have to try this out! Welcome to the blogging world! I am your newest follower and hope you will take a look at my blog and follow me too!
-Nikki
http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com/

MJ @ MD School Mrs said...

What an awesome idea! My ironing board has a solid blue, not appealing cover...I'm thinking this is a must! Thank you so much for sharing :)

MJ @ MD School Mrs.

Marie O. said...

What a cute ironing board! mine is in desperate need of a new cover.
marie
notverydomestic.blogspot.com

Ruth Yoder said...

awesome job. great colors!

Vanessa @ {nifty thrifty things} said...

I love the redo!! Great job!
Thank you so much for linking up to {nifty thrifty sunday}!
I hope to see you again tomorrow!
xoxo,
Vanessa

Mimi said...

My ironing board has needed a new cover for a very long time! I might just patch together some of my leftover remnants to make this. I'm like you - it's okay if it isn't lined up just so. As long as it is colorful and happy.
Found your post at Skip to My Lou and love it!

Stephanie Lynn @Under the Table and Dreaming said...

Hi Katy, Love the new fabric and great tutorial! Thanks so much for linking to the Sunday Showcase party - I greatly appreciate it. I am a little behind commenting...but I have featured this last week. Hope you have a wonderful week ~ Stephanie Lynn

Boden said...

Okay girl, I've gotta say I am LOVING your style and you're pure genius when it comes to upcycling! I'm your newest follower, I hope you'll pop by my blog some time! www.icantstopcrafting.blogspot.com

malia said...

that is REALLY cute, lady!

Patty said...

I made the ironing board cover this weekend to match the curtains in my sewing room. It turned out so cute! If I could figure out how to attach a picture I would! Thanks for he idea! I used bias tape for the casing to finish the raw edge instead of turning under. Patty

Cookie baker Lynn said...

Beautiful tutorial! I really need to refresh mine and will be adding some extra batting. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Hi Katy! The tutorial is deadly, thanks a million for posting it! I made a cover and then wrote about it in a blog post on Pinterest and issues with pinning. Have a look at the pics of my fabulous new ironing board cover here
http://bazaarcollective.com/2012/03/03/pinterest-a-new-community/
Thanks again!
a

Anonymous said...

This is also awesome!!! Question: my ironing board needs new padding. Does anyone know if the foam used is just regular foam or it it something special to withhold the heat? If I am redoing the padding I might as well make a new cover, now that I know how!!

Kateman said...

I too love Amy Butler Fabs. Now I can do a couple of my favorite things thanks to your tutorial: sew, buy fabric, create! My ironing board and I thank you.

CelloRaisen said...

Just finished making mine in Alexander Henry Mocca in brown. Just a tip - why not make a half inch button hole at the top for the thread to go into? Since this hole will have some stress on it, it makes sense. Also, if you are going to buy fabric to make this, you really only need 30 inches of 45" wide fabric. Yes, it will be a tad smaller than your current standard size cover, and you will have to cut it in half and sew it together which will show a seam, but you don't need the extra inches. So if you want to get by with less, it is possible. One last thing - ditch the foam and replace it with a piece of fleece. Sometimes those little cut-outs in the metal will show through on the nap of your fabric when ironing - like corduroy!

Sketched Soul said...

Thanks so much Katy for the wonderful tutorial.
I did finally finish mine:
http://sketchedsoul.blogspot.ca/2012/07/iron-freak.html

Take care.

Kelroy207 said...

Hi Katy, just finished my new ironing board cover thanks to your great tutorial! Used a fabric that I just had to have at a great price but had no idea what I would use it for. As soon as I saw this tutorial, I knew and it looks awesome! Thanks again!!

Unknown said...

We love this tutorial! Thanks for the inspiration! We feature a DIY project every Monday on our blog and today we featured this! Head on over to check it out at www.nevernola.com

Vickie said...

You tutorial is excellent, I'm making one today ! Thanks

Emcee said...

Instead of reusing the string - I used 1/4 inch elastic - now I can adjust my cover as snug as I wish and it is a cinch to take off and "gasp" wash!

Unknown said...

Wonderful tutorial! It looks like it was a finished product bought from a store. Keeping the foam adhered on the board will not only make things easy when recovering time comes, but will also keep the foam still in place while ironing. It's hard to iron clothes properly if the board have bumps on it.

Shannon Mcniel @ASI

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Good Tutorial For Iron Board covers. For shop Iron board Online visit Myiconichome. They Offer 15% for Apple style Homes Iron Board and 12% for Bathla Iron Board . Additional 5% offer for first Purchase. For more products visit Myiconichome

Tammie said...

Great tutorial! What kind of foam did you use and where did you get it? Thanks!

Tammie said...

I realized later that your cushion probably came with your ironing board when it was new. Mine was a used board that my dad repaired and gave to me when I moved out on my own almost 30 years ago. The original pad was probably thrown away long before that. My mom used an old flannel sheet that was folded several times and pinned on the board which gave it plenty of cushion but I had washed it and used it so much that the board desperately needed a new cover.

I have since used this tutorial to make my own cover and it looks great! Thank you! I pinned the safety pins my mom used to the underside of the cover in the back. They serve no purpose, I just didn't want to not use them. Now to find a replacement pad. :-)

Unknown said...

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