How to make an ironing board cover

A quick and easy sewing tutorial for you today that I made and wrote for the wondrous Love Sewing magazine last month. I have a couple more sewing projects for the home in this month’s edition of the magazine that you can buy here. I have to say, I am seriously considering learning how to make clothes after discovering this magazine; imagine how much money I could save myself!

Have you been following Heather’s and Sarah-Lou’s #TheEverydaySpruce project, which is all about simplifying, clarifying and beautifying? Well, beautifying even the most mundane of household items can make a difference to the overall look and feel of your home. When I am sewing I always have my ironing board up in my home office and I realised that the cover was totally knackered and had become a complete eyesore. So, I decided to make a new cover, which is so easy to do and now having the ironing board up (I know so many people who have it up all of the time!) isn’t quite so bad.

You will need:

Medium weight cotton – the size will depend on your board. I used Laura Ashley’s Clarissa print.

Fabric scissors

The cord from your old cover

Pins

Pencil

Step by step:

Step 1 – Lay your fabric on the floor and place your board on top. Draw an outline of the board 10cm from the edge.

Step 2 – Cut out around the line.

Step 3 – Iron a 1cm hem all around the piece of fabric.

Step 4 – Fold the hem over again but this time the fold should be 2cm wide. You will need to make pleats at certain points to get round the curves of the board shape. Make sure all of the pleats face the same direction.

Step 5 – Remove the cord from your old board cover and place it around the board within the channel you have created. Pin it into place so it does not escape the channel.

Step 6 – Make sure the two ends of the cord meet in the centre at the bottom end of the board (not the pointed head). Place two pins in the channel either side of the ends of the cord so you know not to sew pass these points.

Step 7 – Sew the channel ensuring that the cord remains on the right side of the foot and does not get sewn over. Start sewing next to your marker pin.

Step 8 – Keep the foam from your old cover (you can adhere this to your new cover with spray glue but it’s not necessary) and place your new cover over this. Pull the cords as tightly as possible and tie in a bow. Give your new cover an iron!

Keep on sprucing…

Katy x