Proverbs 31:27, NASB: "She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness."
My weeks are pretty typical, with work and housework and fun on the weekend. Every week, my Fridays, which I am fortunate to have off, are usually my housework days, when I accomplish the housework that I don't feel like doing during the week, but want to get done before the weekend's festivities. This always includes a pile of ironing to do for my husband. I hate ironing--it's right up there with cleaning the bathroom on my list of
Worst Hated Housework Jobs. I've known for a while that my ironing board cover was on its last threads, so to speak, but today confirmed that it is time to either get or make a new cover.
I've actually worn through the fabric in one spot, and the foam underneath is literally falling apart, a diamond-shaped piece at a time. I noticed as I was ironing that there was a piece of foam on the floor, so I picked it up and threw it away. No big deal. Then, another appeared. I picked it up and threw it away. Then, another...and so I looked at the underside of the cover:
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| My foam stalactites |
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| Cute little foam diamond |
Huh. I had ironed the foam so much that it was actually squeezing through the diamond-shape openings like frosting through a piping bag. I never realized that it could do that.
The cover is maybe a few years old. The board, probably a few years older. Still, not that old. I think I got it from Wal-Mart, and it's pretty sturdy, so I don't want to get a new board, nor do I need to replace it, because it's in good shape. And, I'd like to mention here, it's a standard-sized board. So, when I looked at Wal-Mart for a replacement cover, I found it strange that the standard covers that they carry are made to fit standard boards, which are not the size that I own. The dimensions aren't off by much, but it's enough to make the cover impossible to iron on, because the standard covers are actually larger than my board (which, as I said, is not that old). I've looked at other chain stores, and they all carry the same standard size ironing board covers, which don't fit my standard-sized board.
Insert sad music here. Which leaves me only one option: to get my craft on!
I've wanted to create a pattern specific to my board for a while, but procrastination or other projects always seemed to steal me away. Now with the disintegration of my current cover, it seems to be a great time to do this. I thought that perhaps others might be in the same boat, so I wanted to share my process for creating a new cover!
Let me start by saying that I have two patterns from McCall's or Simplicity or Butterick or something in my cabinet. I like to buy patterns when they go on sale for 99 cents at the local craft stores. I have no intention of using them, though. I will be doing this my way.
You'll need:
*Pattern paper (I get mine at Jo Ann Fabrics when it goes on sale for $1 a yard)--if you don't have any, tissue paper can work in a pinch
* Home decor fabric of your choice (you can use lighter weight fabric, but home decor fabric is made to stand up to more wear and tear, so it should last longer)
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1/8" or 1/4" thick cushion foam (your preference) this was a lot more expensive than I expected!
*Package of 72" x 90" cotton batting
*Heat reflecting fabric (I purchased 7/8 yd. of 44" wide fabric)
* 1/2" wide, 4.5 yard package elastic
*Thread
My process:
I had a piece of pattern paper that was slightly smaller in length than the ironing board, which I worked around. I laid out the paper on the floor, and collapsed my board flat. I turned it upside down and laid it on the pattern paper.
Then, I took a Sharpie and traced around the board with the cover on. I cut a piece from the extra paper and put it under the front part of
the board, where the paper fell a little short, and taped it in place. Then I did some measurements:
I measured the length of the board and the width of the board, then added 4" to the measurements for the edges that will stretch underneath. I wrote down my measurements:
I took a stab at the amount of elastic I need...the measurement is one-third smaller than the total length of all four sides of the board. I'll have to see how it stretches and how tight it will be. I want it as tight as possible around the edges, to prevent the fabric from slipping around and wrinkling under the clothes.
While at the fabric store, the fabric cutter asked me what I was making. When I told her, she started giving me suggestions about what else I would need, and what could be subbed for the foam. It was her suggestion to add the heat-reflective fabric and the cotton batting, since both were on sale. Thanks you, fabric cutter at Jo Ann Fabrics. These are great (and more cost-effective) solutions!
I opened the batting to full size, then folded it in half. Then I folded it in half again, which gave me four thicknesses of batting. I placed the board pattern on top, and measured an inch out from the pattern.
If you don't have one of these handy little metal rulers with the sliding guide, you really need one. I've used this so much over the years!
Cut out along the 1" marks you just made, and set your batting aside for now.
Then cut the heat reflective fabric in half width-wise, into two 22" wide by 16" long pieces. Pin the two ends together, making sure to account for the 5/8" seam that will be made when you sew the two pieces together.
Lay this flat and lay the pattern onto the heat shield fabric. Measure an inch past the pattern, then cut this out according to the dash marks. Set this piece aside.
Then it was time to cut the fabric. I'm always afraid of this part when I venture into one of my "mind projects". I am not the kind of person who likes using patterns--I've sewn so many things by making my own patterns and putting it together in a way that makes sense to me--but I can't help but second-guess every detail of my pattern in my head a few times before I finally get up the courage to cut. But finally, I made the move.
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| Me staring at the fabric with fear and dread. |
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| Wow, the colors are waaay off in this picture. I think because of the window. The wall looks peach, but is actually a cheerful yellow. |
(A note here: I allowed an extra 2" on each side of the board for the elastic. It wasn't enough, so I would recommend a
minimum of 3" overhang on each side for an elastic casing around the edges. So I cut 1 1/2" strips that will later be sewn around the entire piece of fabric to encase the elastic.)
Now, sew the seam into the heat-resistant fabric. Iron the seam open.
Next, layer the heat-resistant fabric below the first layer of batting, so that you have three layers below the heat shield and one layer above. Be sure that the gray side of the heat-resistant fabric is facing up!
Pin all layers together, and sew a 5/8" seam around the entire perimeter of the batting. This will help all of the layers stay in place while you are ironing. You may want to check your machine after doing this to make sure that you don't have too much lint from the batting in the bobbin area. Trim the excess off.
Now, make the casing for your elastic. In my pictures, I am showing the fabric strips that I cut for the casing, but if you cut the extra out as all one piece, then you simply fold the fabric under 1/4" along the edges, iron flat, then fold the fabric under again 5/8", enclosing the raw edge in the fabric casing. Be sure to leave an opening at the back edge of the casing to insert and run the elastic through.
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| Because I had an exposed edge, and the fabric was prone to fraying, I sewed a zigzag stitch along the entire edge. |
Don't be like me, though, and find fun new ways to create fishing hooks with your sewing machine:
This little mistake was a ten minute delay in my sewing. Frowny face.
Once you have your casing sewn, this is where a bodkin (I think that's what these are called--I usually call it a threader) comes in handy.
I used the blue threader, because of the amount of fabric that I would be pulling the elastic through. Thread your bodkin and begin to pull it through the casing. I was having a hard time keeping the elastic in the eye, so I came up with this solution:
I taped the elastic to the threader with Scotch tape, which created a smooth surface to pull through the casing. Worked great!
Once you get the elastic through the casing, you need to try the cover on the board with the batting underneath. Use a safety pin to hold the elastic together and keep it from slipping into the casing, and stretch the cover over the board. Then take your elastic and pull it as tightly as you want it to be, making sure that it will securely hold the cover in place while you are ironing. Remove your safety pin and re-pin the elastic where you have tightened it. This will mark where you will sew the elastic together.
Take the cover off and cut the extra elastic off. Pin the elastic in place, then sew these ends together, creating a square with the thread and reinforcing it two or three times. This is where the elastic is most vulnerable to breaking, so you want it to be as secure as possible.
Huh, I meant to take a picture of that. Apparently I forgot to do so.
Hand-stitch or machine sew the casing closed where the elastic was inserted. You're done!
You can make this with foam; I opted for this way since the foam in my last cover just completely disintegrated. This seemed like a better option, and it was half the cost of the foam pad. All total with sale prices and discounts, the total for this project came to $37, but thanks to my sister and brother-in-law, I had a $25 gift card for Jo Ann Fabrics from Christmas to use. Plus, I got an e-mail coupon for 15% off of my total purchase, which helped to get the total cost down to $31. Because of all of that, I spent $6 of my own money. Not bad for a custom-fitted cover! I would have paid more than that at Wal-Mart, and had a fraction of the quality.
Ironing is fun again!
Well, maybe not. But it is prettier!
