It's thin and every time I used the steam feature on my Rowenta it left drippy marks on the muslin. See the photo below...
So to solve this situation, I bought another cover and added to the top of the ironing board. Even this proved to be a little thin. So I added a layer of batting which was taken from the swag bag we were given at The McCalls Reception...the tag on the batting says it is Bosal - Foam, Fiber, Interfacing and Crafts.
Then the second cover was added.
I love the extra layers on the ironing board now. I can steam without the steam bouncing back to the top. I can stick pins into the ironing board and they stay! Hopefully this ironing board will serve me faithfully for another decade.
Has anyone else ever pimped out their ironing board?
...as always more later!
I've never added additional padding to mine, but I did make a new cover for mine. I still have more of that fabric left over--maybe I'll make new seat cushion covers for the chairs in my sewing room and office!
ReplyDeleteI just stopped by to let you know that I used your sleeve bicep alteration for short sleeves the other day, and it worked beautifully. I don't know why it worked so much better than the Fit for Real People method; it isn't that much different. But I tried the FFRP method first, and it just wasn't working at all. So I went back to my Tips and Techniques file, and there was your tutorial. It gave me a comfortable sleeve that hangs properly and looks pretty.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Oh you're so welcome! I'm glad it worked for you!!!
DeleteYears ago--I'm talking 60's and 70'--when everything required ironing, my mom used an old cotton ((hospital) blanket under her cover and it ironed beautifully, of course the heavy duty steam iron helped. Maybe I need to pimp mine.
ReplyDeleteOh yessss. I have a grid cotton cover (the old one with a ruler printed on it), two layers of wool blanket all over and several more layers of extra wool at the pointy end. So worth it, makes steaming so much more effective, less burning. I can pin stuff out and steam it into submission. Chiffon, I am talking about YOU. Do these kids today not press while they sew?
ReplyDeleteI add padding to my ironing board with bath towels.
ReplyDeleteI keep adding layers of foam every time I change iron board covers.
ReplyDeleteI added old felted wool to my ironing board - definitely needed that extra oomph of padding! I'm ready for a new cover though...would love something other than plain old white...
ReplyDeleteI love a WELL PADDED ironing board. When I buy a new cover and pad, I just add it over what's already there. There must be at least 10 on my ironing board. Love it!
ReplyDeleteOh what a great idea! Just my last ironing board cover didn't fit this one! There are some good ideas in this post and I think I'm going to add some more to mine using some of them!
DeleteHi, Carolyn -
ReplyDeleteI've been pumping up my ironing board covers for years. Seems to me this wasn't necessary 'back in the day'. The extra effort to make an ironing board capable of doing its job well is definitely time and energy well spent. What I've taken to doing is rather unorthodox, but I leave the old pad in place, lay down a layer of quilt batting and then put the new cover over that. Works great. Over time, all of this stuff loses some of its thickness, but not all. That's when I do the same thing all over again. Believe it or not, I'm on my third or fourth cover now. Since I haven't removed any of the underneath layers, my ironing board padding is rather substantial. Some time ago, I discovered that tossing out the old stuff simply meant starting all over again. As long as the ironing board itself holds up, I'll continue to just add layer upon layer, building upon what is already there. By now, it's probably all stuck together anyhow. :)
I pimped out my ironing board with some left over batting from padding out my dress form. Also, layered it with aluminum foil to increase heat factor when ironing.
ReplyDeleteI keep the foam from the old ironing board covers when I get a new one and add it to the
ReplyDeletenew one. I think I have at least three pads on my current ironing board.
I use an extra layer of quilt batting on mine. I also made a new cover for mine using quilting cotton (all the fun prints!). I wondered how that would do, but it has held up fine, and it was so easy I was mad at myself for not doing it before. Also, if it wears out it's no problem to make another one.
ReplyDeleteYes... yes I have. Every time I decide to change covers (new, improved, better?), I add it and more padding over the old cover. I'm not sure how many layers I have now, but it's definitely "pimped" if "pimped" means adding thickness. I totally agree about being able to pin to the board. That rules.
ReplyDeleteOld thick wool blankets pad my ironing board, with heavy muslin over and a gridded canvas topper on it. My ironing board is an actual board: about 5' long and 2' wide 3/4" plywood on top of a 4' x 18" chrome set of shelves on wheels. The shelves below hold pressing cloths, sleeve board, pressing hams etc. The ironing surface is about waist high. I don't miss having a regular ironing board, just use the sleeve board and ham and other hand-made pressing aids (wool coating wrapped around big cans etc) when needed. The big surface is wonderful for pressing big pieces of fabric.
ReplyDeleteThanks to the local army surplus store, I have an old wool blanket from some eastern European country's army. Cut it to size with several layers, then a cotton cover on top. Wonderfully thick, and great with steam.
ReplyDeleteI recently purchased a new ironing board cover from Bed Bath & Beyond -- easy to install and love the silicon iron pad. I have old sheets that pad up the board (which is my first one from 1977).
ReplyDeleteGreat idea with the padding and thanks for educating me on where those seam come from. I thought it was from the iron itself not the steam bouncing back up so I guess I need more padding on my board too.
ReplyDeleteI put a layer of wool felt under my ironing board cover. I love the way it holds steam and releases it into the fabric I'm pressing. When it gets flattened, I add another. You can also use old wool blankets. I don't generally use more than 2 layers under my cover. If it's too spongy I don't get the press I like. That's just a personal opinion.
ReplyDelete...and it was thanks to Ann that I added wool to my board.
DeleteWe are on the same wavelength this weekend. I am making a dress for a friend and that cover had to be spotless so in the wash it went. While waiting I found and old felted blanket and put three layers of that down before the clean cover went on. I love the loft. It is working well.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Carolyn! I love the extra padding too, it really is nice to have the extra padding!!
ReplyDeleteI used an old wool army blanket...or actually navy blanket from my dad. Too scratchy to sleep with but perfect for padding the ironing table. The wool holds the steam nicely.
ReplyDeleteI padded a 4 foot banquet table with layers of some old wool fabric and covered it with muslin. I stapled a sheet down from DMIL over all the whole table top. It's time for a new cover since I spilled ice tea on it again. I'll just staple another sheet over the last one.
ReplyDeleteYes, I added the thick wadding sold for ironing boards. It's very thick (there is a thinner one too). I just had to cut it to size. Makes a huge difference. As does my new steam generator iron!
ReplyDeleteYes! I am another who used several layers of a thick wool on mine and then I made a custom denim cover. Like you, I love that padding!
ReplyDeleteOh, that's a great idea! I'll add my batting to my ironing board! My ironing board came with a very thin layer of soft foam under the cover, which wasn't enough, so I added a layer of quilt batting... still not enough! I cut down an old bath towel and added that, too, but it's STILL kind of thin!
ReplyDeleteI always add extra to my ironing board as the covers are always, IMHO, too thin. I even have a towel as part of the extra materials under the cover. It does make for easy pinning when necessary and as you said the steam does not ruin the cover.
ReplyDeleteBoth my mother and grandmother used clean old army blankets, several layers thick, to pad their ironing boards. They were wool, I think, and I could iron shirt plackets button side down without wrinkles, because the buttons, etc. sank into the pad. The best ironing tool I ever used was an old fashioned mangle, the kind with the rotating padded surface and wide ironing plate. Modern steam presses are a poor second. On and up. Judi
ReplyDeleteI always just add the new one on top of the old ones! I've got about 5 layers on now! It makes it lovely to iron on and it keeps a lot of heat next to what you're ironing.
ReplyDelete