Recover your ironing board, yourself!There's one thing almost every sewist says, "I only iron when I sew." That rings true for me 95% of the time. I'm not a big fan of wrinkles so, I do iron the occasional laundry basket of clothes. However, my ironing board lives in my sewing space. Unless we have people over, it hangs out in sewing land. There's nothing fun about pressing open seams on a musty crusty ironing board, amiright? I've bought countless pads for my board over the years. They've worked fine enough until they flatten and get ugly. It was time to make my own cover. After going down the rabbit hole that is Google, I discovered people using felt blankets on their boards or Insul-Bright. You're going to use both for your new cover! No more wimpy covers that leaves board indents on your project or, dare I say, laundry. Your new board will be thick and lofty, oh and it'll look cute too. Yay for pretty things. :D Are you ready to re-cover your ironing board? Let's do this. Items You'll Need:
Ironing boards come in all shapes and sizes. 2 yards for the fabrics should be more than enough. Measure your board length to be sure, don't forget you'll need extra for the seam allowances. This whole project takes about an hour. You'll be pressing those seams open on a pretty new cover in no time. Let's get Started
Start by removing your old cover and after you've washed it, stuff it inside this floor pillow. ;)
Use the thin foam piece as a cutting guide for the wool and Insul-Bright layers. If you don't have one, just eyeball it. This is an easy project, and it's all about winging it here.
Place the 2 wool layers onto the board, then the Insul-Bright layer on top. Iron over the layers to smooth them out. Look at those wrinkles. Yikes!
Drape your cotton fabric over the board. You'll want it to hang 4" all around. Give everything a good press, sliding your iron back and forth over all the layers.
Cut your fabric, it doesn't have to be perfect but, make sure your edges are smooth and not jagged. I'm speaking from experience. ;) Haha
Sewing Time
Take your fabric cover to the machine. You're going to sew with a 1/2" seam allowance. Use a 2.5 or 3mm stitch length. It doesn't have to be perfect, the seam will get covered.
Now, grab your elastic. You're going to sew a zigzag stitch over the seam you just sewed with the elastic on top.
Pull the elastic taught with one hand while gently pulling the fabric behind the machine with the other hand. Use a zigzag stitch and sew. You want to pull the elastic tight enough so it will make the cover fit nice and snug over your board.
You will have something that looks like mine up above. If not, grab that seam ripper, grab a cup of tea, and start ripping.
If your fabric doesn't fit snugly enough, clip a piece of elastic and attach it on the underside along a long edge. Clip. Then, pull it toward the other side to get a snug fit. Clip or pin. Take it to the machine and zigzag over both ends. You may have to slide it on and off the board a few times to get a perfect fit. My old cover came with elastic straps that fir like this, except they had a button. That's where I got the idea. I added two elastic strips under the cover. One at the nose and one at the bum. ;) Yay!! You just made a cute ironing board cover and it will work much better than any store-bought one. I've wanted to recover my ironing board for a while, and I'm so happy I finally did it. With the multiple layers, everything presses nicely and quickly too. Are you excited to make your ironing board cover? Or is it something you'd rather not make? I'm curious, so tell me in the comments below if it's something you're excited to make. Thanks for hanging out with me today. Now go sew something fun. :D Happy ironing, Annette Looking for something else? Read belowHave a ton of fabric scraps? Want to use them up? Sew a floor cushion. New to sewing and want to jump right in? Read this Budget-Friendly sewing post here. Is your machine not working properly? It might need a quick cleaning session, find out how, here. Do you love vintage style and want to incorporate it to your everyday wardrobe? Grab this easy free pattern for a vintage headscarf. Do you have chickens? Yes! Well, you need an egg apron. Grab the free pattern and tutorial here.
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Do you save every fabric scrap you've ever cut in hopes of using them for something? If you're like me, you don't save them all but, you do save pieces big enough to use for a pocket. Because... pockets! Right? I've discovered the best fabric-busting project of all time. It uses all your fabric scraps up. Okay, it doesn't technically "use" them but, it does put them to use. You're going to sew a simple floor cushion and store all your scraps inside!
You'll want to plow through that list of sewing projects so you can cut into fabric and have more scraps to fill the floor cushion. Whew! Trust me, I'm speaking from experience. ;) Cozy Meets Functional
The floor cushion itself is not a good scrap buster. You might need to buy fabric to make it. But, it'll free up space in your sewing area, I promise.
I was lucky enough to have leftover grey chenille from my pop-up trailer makeover, so I used that. You'll want to use an upholstery weight fabric or something similar. This cushion is going to take a beating. If you have upholstery thread, you can use it here. If you don't, good ole polyester thread works fine. This whole project takes 2hrs give or take. It's a quick sew and gives a huge reward!
If you're still on the fence about making one, think ottoman, pet bed, kid's seat, etc.
My cat claims it as his bed when my son isn't using it for his feet. It gets carried from room to room and makes a great coffee table game chair as well. I'm surprised it hasn't been involoved in a pillow fight yet. Supplies
Let's Sew!
Wash your fabric if you want. I didn't. When I need to wash it in the future, it'll shrink a little and be fine.
You're going to sew a large cube and fill it with your fabric scraps. Hooray! 1. Cut 2, 21" squares. Cut 4 rectangles measuring 15.5" by 21". Serge or zigzag over the raw edges. Upholstery fabric loves to fray.
2. Clip or pin the rectangles together along the short sides, right sides together. You're making a loop. Sew up the short sides using 1/2" seam allowances, backstitching at the beginning and ends.
3. Lay one square right side up on your table. Clip one side of the loop you just made from the rectangles, onto the square, RST. It's easiest to clip the corners of the square to the side seams first. Then, ease the side seams in. Your upholstery fabric might have some stretch in it but, you tell it who's boss!
If you don't want to insert a zipper, sew along the edge using 1/2" seam allowance.
4. Here's where you'll insert your zipper if you want one. This is a little different than inserting a zipper into a bag so, bear with me.
Clip/pin one side of the zipper to a rectangle edge. Sew the zipper with a zipper foot. Open the zipper and clip the zipper tape to the square bottom edge. Sew using the zipper foot. You might have to sew one side of the zipper tape facing down which feels awkward but is totally fine. Switch back to your regular sewing foot to sew around the whole square. Start at one end of the zipper and end at the other end of the zipper. Open and close the zipper to make sure it's lined up, if it isn't smooth, unpick one side and resew it. *It's easier to sew with the flat piece down and move the rectangles out of the way as you sew.
To get the seam and zipper area to match up nicely, sew an extra 1/8" inside the zipper seam allowance when you get to the zipper.
It's a little trick that's used when inserting invisible zippers.
5. Now that the hardest part is over, it's time to sew the top square on. Clip the top the same way you did with the bottom square. Start with the corners first, then clip the sides. Sew all around using 1/2" seam allowance.
This might look tricky but, take your time. Go slow and make sure you're only sewing over the 2 layers.
6. Turn the cushion right side out and pop out the corners. You don't have to worry about trimming the corners unless you want to. I left them alone. Press the seams open as well as you can.
Ta-da! You've made a floor cushion, bean bag, floor pouf, or whatever you want to call it. You made one!
7. Stuff it with all those fabric scraps inside. It's very therapeutic. If it feels empty still, toss some extra yardage inside if you'd like. I had yards of fleece, minky, and faux fur from my baby gift making days and that really helped to fluff it up.
You can even fill it with those random pieces of interfacing you're probably saving. ;) All that's left to do is use it. Who gets to use it first? The kids, your kitty, or you? Read Below for Extra Tips:
You can make a set if you have buckets and buckets of scraps laying around. Oh, a set would be great for a kids room or game room as well. Now I'm off to tackle that sewing to-do list. I need more scraps!!
So, are you ready to put all those scraps to use? Well, store them in a fun way at least? If you do, tag me on Instagram @sewingtothemoon so I can see them all.
Happy stuffing!
Annette
Still, have the sewing bug? Make some easy things for your home below.
Fabric Baskets are great for storing things on the counter and inside drawers. Make one here. Sew the easiest dress ever, here. It's also the coziest dress. Here's another cozy dress. Want to organize your sewing space? Here are pattern organization tips. Want an easy Vintage sewing pattern to up your style game? Grab your Downloadable PDF here. 11/18/2021 2 Comments Crossbody Bag Review
I have found the holy grail of bags and I'm shouting it out from the rooftop!
This bag is the biggest-little bag I've ever laid eyes on. It's a game-changer for sure and everyone needs to have one or two! It's honestly the best travel bag I've come across! You can fill it with everything except the kitchen sink. This day-use crossbody bag is perfect for walking around museums, theme parks, concerts, national parks, etc. I'm not getting paid for this post, I am just in love! Haha! I've always carried my regular handbag whenever we ventured out and after a few hours, my shoulder would hurt something fierce. I eventually bought a tiny crossbody bag from a big box store for $5 because it was $5! Oh, and it was in the shape of cherries. Super cute!! Well, my newest phone is too big for the cherry purse. So, I searched Pinterest high and low for a crossbody sewing pattern and nothing came up. Is it me or is Pinterest extremely lackluster nowadays? I wanted pockets and the bag shape to be more horizontal than vertical. My next stop was Etsy. Thank you Etsy, for coming through. I found the best pattern and I'm sharing it with you today. Hold on to your teacup because she's a doozy. This bag has so. many. pockets! It's comfortable to wear (aren't all crossbody bags?) and will hold allllll of your things. I'm not sharing a step-by-step tutorial in this post because the bag creator has Youtube videos and an extremely detailed PDF that comes with the pattern. This post is more of a pattern review. I made this one for myself so, it is full of bright colored fabrics. If you know me, I'm the opposite of a neutral person. Ha! Clarendon Crossbody Wallet
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After your fabric pieces are cut, interfaced, and corners cut out, you're ready to sew!
Time to Sew
- Place the two lining pieces RST and pin/clip together.
- Place the two outer pieces RST and pin/clip together.
- Use a 1/4" seam allowance, and sew each side and bottom together, backstitching at the beginning and end.
4. Now, sandwich the corners together to form the boxy bottom. Pinch them in the opposite direction so, the seams you just sewed are on top of each other. Pin together. It should lie flat if your cutting was exactly a square. Match up the side seams up because you will see them.
5. Sew across the small corner area with a 1/2" seam allowance. Backstitch at the beginning and end. Trim your seam allowances.
Do the same thing with the outer fabrics.
5. Sew across the small corner area with a 1/2" seam allowance. Backstitch at the beginning and end. Trim your seam allowances.
Do the same thing with the outer fabrics.
6. Turn the lining right side out. Place the lining piece inside the outer piece. The right sides should be touching each other. Pin together at the side seams first, then continue to pin around the whole top of the bin. Leave a 4" gap for turning out. You can do this at the back or along a side seam area.
7. Using a 1/2" seam allowance, sew around the whole top making sure to catch both layers. Backstitch at the beginning and end of the opening.
8. Turn the fabric basket out. Reach inside and gently pull out the lining through the gap you left open. Then, reach inside and grab the outer fabric and pull it out, gently. This is little more difficult because of the thicker interfacing. Just be patient and keep pulling it out through the opening.
8. Turn the fabric basket out. Reach inside and gently pull out the lining through the gap you left open. Then, reach inside and grab the outer fabric and pull it out, gently. This is little more difficult because of the thicker interfacing. Just be patient and keep pulling it out through the opening.
Poke out the corners using a chopstick or blunt end of a pencil. I love using my chopstick for poking out corners. My dad brought it back for me, from China, when he visited 20 years ago. It's a near and dear to me, sewing notion. :-)
Check your seams. Make sure everything is neat and tidy. No interfacing is sticking out or fabric that wasn't sewn in, accidentally. No puckers either. If anything is happening that you don't love, grab that seam ripper.
9. Push your lining back down into the basket. Press the top edge with your iron to flatten out the seam bulk.
10. Last step! Pin the opening closed, and topstitch around the whole top. You can even do a second row of stitching using the edge of your pressure foot as a guide.
That's it. You're done! Go fill it up with whatever fun things you have that need a home.
It looks like a lot of steps but, it's not. Once you make a simple fabric basket, you'll want to make more. They're great for storing all the little things and big things. Just follow the interfacing guide up above and experiment with different fabrics and sizes. You can add handles or loops for hanging too. Make an extra-long loop on a bin to use for a trash bin inside your car. There are endless possibilities for these little baskets of fun.
Share in the comment section what you plan to use them for.
Thanks for hanging out and stay tuned for more Simple to Sew sewing projects. Zippers are up next!
Annette
Need something a little more time-consuming so sew? Check out this post on the Charms Pattern Rita Blouse.
During all the Spring cleaning chaos, have you cleaned your sewing machine lately? Here's a quick 5 minute cleaning tutorial.
Use #simpletosew on Instagram so we can all see each other's creations.
9. Push your lining back down into the basket. Press the top edge with your iron to flatten out the seam bulk.
10. Last step! Pin the opening closed, and topstitch around the whole top. You can even do a second row of stitching using the edge of your pressure foot as a guide.
That's it. You're done! Go fill it up with whatever fun things you have that need a home.
It looks like a lot of steps but, it's not. Once you make a simple fabric basket, you'll want to make more. They're great for storing all the little things and big things. Just follow the interfacing guide up above and experiment with different fabrics and sizes. You can add handles or loops for hanging too. Make an extra-long loop on a bin to use for a trash bin inside your car. There are endless possibilities for these little baskets of fun.
Share in the comment section what you plan to use them for.
Thanks for hanging out and stay tuned for more Simple to Sew sewing projects. Zippers are up next!
Annette
Need something a little more time-consuming so sew? Check out this post on the Charms Pattern Rita Blouse.
During all the Spring cleaning chaos, have you cleaned your sewing machine lately? Here's a quick 5 minute cleaning tutorial.
Use #simpletosew on Instagram so we can all see each other's creations.
More Fabric Basket Options
Play with sizing. Make them tall. Make them short. If you're unsure if the sizing will work for your needs, use scrap paper to staple the pieces together. These are meant to be customized for your own use. Have fun with them!
Author
Hi there, I'm Annette and I love eating and sewing. I usually have a cup of coffee or tea with me, but not next to my machine because I'd probably spill it. I am the reason we can't have nice things.
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