Perfect Pressing Boards

In preparation for Saturday's Applique class at The Old Country Store, I decided to make a batch of pressing boards so each student can try one out for themselves.

At my last Applique class, the students commented on what a difference they made in their pressing results.  I was teaching the Freezer Paper and Starch method, and indeed, it does make a difference if you have a firm surface to work with!

I love these pressing boards - they are perfect indeed.  I first learned about making them here.

One you get used to the perfect surface they provide you with, you won't be happy with any other pressing surface, trust me!

The problem with conventional ironing boards is that the surface just isn't firm enough for quilt-related pressing, and often the padding is a polyester fiber, or the cover is made out of that nasty aluminized silver stuff. 

 I made several boards for myself three years ago as well as a big board pressing surface and absolutely love using them.

(Note - I had just painted my quilt studio and tidied up - it's never been that neat since!)

These boards are so simple and inexpensive to make.  I simply got some scraps of plywood at the lumber yard and had them cut down to the desired size.  The 10 x 13" size works nicely for small projects and is easy to transport if you are quilting away from home.  The larger 14 x 19" size always sits on my big board ironing surface and helps to protect it from the scorching that results from routine pressing.  And, I have an 18" square board that is perfect for fusing interfacing when making T-shirt quilts.  Of course, you can make them any size you wish!

Here is the supply list in case you are interested in making your own:

10 x 13" 1/2" OSB or good quality plywood

14 x 17" 100% cotton duck fabric

(I got mine at Good's for super cheap.)

2 pieces of 11 x 14" 100% cotton batting 

(Warm & Natural or Warm & White works just fine even though it's only 87% cotton.  And, it's the perfect project for using up batting scraps.)

9-1/2 x 12-1/2" piece of felt

You'll also need:

coarse sand paper (I used 60 grit)

staple gun and 1/4" staples

Sobo or craft glue

Round the corners of the wood with coarse sand paper (50 or 60 grit works nicely).

Lay the wood on top of the fabric and 2 layers of batting.

Notch out the corners of batting to eliminate bulk.

Pull fabric nice and taught and staple.

Glue the felt to the back to give it a finished look.

You can certainly use a cotton decorator fabric if you prefer something a little more snazzy, but I prefer to stick with the plain duck fabric so there's never any worry about any dye bleeding onto my fabric if I'm using starch or steam.

 Of course, with regular use, you'll end up with a surface that looks like this, but you can easily recover your board from time to time, something I definitely need to do!

Pressing Boards

I was happy to get these pressing boards completed today!  I've been wanting to make some ever since reading about them here.  

I had been using this table top ironing board set up next to my sewing machine, but it had seen better days, and the shape wasn't ideal for quilting.

There was just enough usable canvas from the end of my old ironing board cover for covering these two boards, 10x13" and 14x19" (the same sizes as recommended in the tutorial).  My local lumber yard was kind enough to give me some lumber scraps for free; they even cut them cut them to size for me!  (I'm not even sure what kind of board it is - I hated to ask questions or sound ungrateful when it was free!)  

I had planned to use sound board as recommended in the tutorial, but my local lumber yard didn't carry it, and it only came in 4x8' sheets at Home Depot, way more than I needed for this project!  

I basically followed the directions on the blog I referenced above, only I used 2 layers of  Warm and Natural batting instead of one.  I rounded the corners with #60 grit sandpaper so that the corners won't wear out too quickly.

Here's a view of the back.  I figure I can easily recover them from time to time, or cover them with a decorator fabric when I feel inspired.  I went ahead and made both sizes; I figured it would be nice to have a small one to take along to my quilt guild's all-day sew; I plan to use the larger one on top of my "big board" pressing surface (when I get it done!) - that way the pressing board will get the bulk of the wear and tear, and I can recover it easily vs. an entire big board.

Time for a New Ironing Board Cover!

Time for a new ironing board cover, wouldn't you say!  (I always wonder if the status of my nasty ironing board cover will erode my sewing customers' confidence in my sewing skills!)  I had purchased the fabric several years ago for a new cover, but never got around to it until today.  Actually, the real motivation was because I wanted to use the scraps to make some pressing boards for my quilt studio.  I was just thankful to have something to motivate me!

You would think that you could easily purchase a plain 100% cotton canvas ironing board cover, but they're  simply not out there!

Here's the new cover.  Aaaahhhh, so much better.  

I simply used the old cover as a guide, but cut it a bit larger to make a casing for a drawstring.  The previous cover had elastic in the casing, but the elastic always conks out at some point and then you're left with a sloppy cover (although, who am I to talk?!).  I used some grosgrain ribbon I had on hand for the drawstring; it worked great.

I would have loved to use this Annie Selke designer fabric to make the cover, but it was so insanely expensive (I had to special order it from Jo-Ann's when I made the curtains), so I hated to use it for an ironing board cover that would just get ruined in no time.

So, instead I plan to stitch a simple cover out of the Annie Selke fabric that I can lay on top of the board, then simply fold back when I want to use my iron.

Feels good to have that project off my to-do list!

Actually, I love that Annie Selke fabric so much that I plan to make a Roman shade for my master bath as well!