DIY Ironing Board Cover in Under 30 Minutes!

So…I asked Laura how I could help with blog posts and general tutorials. She laughed and said, “Well, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it, but first, I really need to tell you that your ironing board cover is gross.” Uh, what? I had never given any thought to my ironing board or its cover. But…she wasn’t wrong.

Today I decided to do something about it. First I Googled ironing board covers and then DIY ironing board covers. Yeah, there are some people out there who really like their ironing boards to look fancy. I am not one of those people. I don’t need pockets or anything special attached to it. So, I came up with the perfect plan. A DIY ironing board cover in under 30 minutes.

Here’s what you need to get started. If you’re like me and have hoarding tendencies, then you probably already have these things at your house. (Don’t tell my husband I’m a hoarder because I mock him for his hoarding tendencies and live in denial.)

Supplies

• 2 yards of woven fabric
• nylon cord (honestly-any strong cord will work!)
• cord stop (optional)
• Insulbright (optional)

I have no idea why I have this nylon cording. I don’t know where it came from or what its original purpose was, but it has been in a drawer for a while. I had the cord stops hanging on my pegboard. Again, I have no idea what possessed me to buy these and I’ve had them for longer than I care to admit. It might be time to come to terms with the fact that I’m a hoarder. Sigh. I didn’t use Insulbright because I didn’t want to make a trip to the store and my old ironing board cover didn’t have it.

Steps

Admire old ironing board cover and remember the great times you had together.

Wrestle the old ironing board cover off and then wash your hands because you know it has been on there for far longer than it should have been allowed to exist. Leave the foam pad on the ironing board (if your ironing board has one).

Snip cord around the edge of your old ironing board cover so it lays flat on your table. Place on top of new fabric and put fabric weights around the edge.

Use scissors or a rotary cutter to cut the new fabric, using the old ironing board fabric as a pattern piece.

Take over to your serger. Take the time to change out your thread to a color that is complementary because even though you think you won’t mind, you’ll really hate it if you don’t. Trust me. (If you don’t have a serger, you can use an overcast stitch or a wide zigzag on your sewing machine.)

Turn off the knife and slide the cord against the edge of the fabric, out of the way of the needles, and leave about 3-4 inches as a tail to the back of the machine. You want the cord to be wrapped by the looper thread only, not sewn into the needle threads! (If you’re using a sewing machine, you’ll sew back and forth over the cord with a zigzag stitch.)

Grip it and rip it. Seriously, make a game of it, but don’t sew threw it with the needles because that’s a real pain in the tush and the cord won’t pull freely. When you get back to the beginning, trim threads and leave a tail of cording about 3-4 inches long.

Wrestle your new ironing board cover onto the ironing board. That piece of foam is kind of annoying, but you can do it, I promise.

Pull the cords tight. If you have the cord stop, slide it onto the cords to make your life even easier. If you don’t have a cord stop, tie it in a bow or a knot after you’ve cinched it tight.

Bam! Admire your handiwork and then ask yourself why you didn’t pick a fabric that coordinated with the rest of your sewing room. haha–Seriously, I did that. But–orange is my favorite color, so I’m happy I went with it, AND I’ve had it in my stash FOREVER. Win win.

It took me more time to write this blog post than it did for me to make the ironing board cover! Now, go buy some new patterns and get to work!

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