You’ll find this mini ironing board is such a useful tool to have in the home. It’s a must-have for the sewer or quilter, where the constant need to press fabric while working on a project is essential. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve whipped out my mini ironing board from the cupboard to give an urgently required child’s T-shirt or pair of shorts a quick rub over before they run out of the door.
You can make a mini ironing board inexpensively from scratch if you need to, but with any luck you’ll be able to recycle and re-purpose some old materials you have around the home.
What you’ll need:
- sturdy piece of wood, 1/2 to 1 inch thick, cut to your preferred dimensions (I used an old bread board approximately 12-by-15 inches)
- thick felt ironing underlay or a couple layers of cotton wadding>
- heat-reflective lining material or a piece of old ironing board cover
- medium-weight cotton fabric
- heavy-duty staple gun or upholstery tacker and staples
Step 1
Cut the wadding and heat-resistant fabric to cover your wood piece. Make sure have enough fabric to fold under the board. The exact amount of materials you need will depend on the wood’s thickness.
Step 2
Cut your medium-weight cotton fabric so it covers the wadding and heat-resistant fabric and you can fold the raw edge under. This will be your ironing board cover.
Step 3
Lay the heat-resistant fabric with the metallic side facing down, and lay the felt underlay (or wadding) on top. Place the wooden board on top of that and making sure everything is centered. Pull these two underlayers around, and put the first staple in the middle of one of the edges. Repeat on the opposite edge, making sure to pull the fabrics taut as you staple. Continue stapling along the edges, alternating sides and pulling the layers taut each time. Don’t staple too close the corners yet.
Step 4
Separate the layers at the corner, tuck the heat-resistant fabric out of the way and trim down the thick felt/wadding so that the corners are not too bulky.
Step 5
Pull the heat-resistant fabric back into place and pull one edge around the corner and fold to the side. Staple into place. Repeat for each corner.
Step 6
Place the board-cover fabric face down, and center the board on it. Pull up one side of the fabric up and into place, covering the under layers and at the same time. Tuck the raw edge underneath before stapling into place. Continue around the board, working on opposite edges, and pulling the fabric taut. Do not staple too close to the corners.
Step 7
To finish the corners, trim the fabric slightly on an angle. Tucking the raw edge under, pull the fabric over as shown.
Step 8
Tuck in the remaining corner fabric, fold into place as neatly as you can, and staple. Repeat on the remaining corners until the whole of the outer layer is held securely in place.
Flip the board over and you now have one very useful and incredibly portable ironing board.
| About Sandra Paul Sandra is a stay-at-home Mum living in a small village in England. She spends her days sewing, crocheting, knitting, pottering around the house and garden, and trying to pretend that housework doesnít exist so that she can use the time to craft and write her blog. Look for her sewing and crochet projects for the home and garden each month on The Craft Hub and visit her at Cherry Heart to see more of her work. |
