Ironing Board

[Rhonda D. Matzker]

I don't have a sewing room yet so I don't have a pressing area just and ironing board so....

What is a good ironing board? I have one from Wal-Mart and it is a piece of crap. Any suggestions?

[Genny]

Re: Ironing Board

I have one from Walmart and it works fine for me but truthfully I made a pressing board like Jenny made in her video and I'd rather use it then sit my Ironing Board up in my little sewing room and have to keep walking around it when I'm sewing and need something.

[Rhonda D. Matzker]

Re: Ironing Board

I am going to do that eventually but right now I have to use an ironing board but this one I have isn't any good. My hubby wants to put a wooden top on it. I guess he can do that and I can wrap it in batting and fabric until I make a pressing board.

[Simply Quilting]

Re: Ironing Board

I have a standard ironing board that I was given when we got married many years ago. The biggest thing that I would change would to have it longer for when I am pressing open rows and doing a final press of the whole quilt. I like the one that Jenny made that Genevieve was talking about. Which if I had the room, I would make one. Because many times, you don't need a huge space to iron a block.

[Iris Girl]

Re: Ironing Board

I have a 3 foot wooden ironing board my step father in law made me many years ago that fits on top of my washer for pressing. It has been recovered many times and is about 28 years old now. I love it!

[Doloris]

Re: Ironing Board

a piece of 3/4" plywood 2 ftx4ft is ideal. Cover it with a layer of batting and then fabric. Sit on top of your ironing board and you are good to go. Some put a couple "braces" on the bottom to keep it from sliding, but I never had any trouble. I got rid of the ironing board and now have it sitting on a small 3 drawer dresser. Less wobbly, although I never had any trouble, and more storage.

[songbird857]

Re: Ironing Board

[QUOTE=Doloris; ...... Sit on top of your ironing board and you are good to go.[/QUOTE]

You just need to imagine what my mind saw with no coffee yet when I read this

[New York Sue]

Re: Ironing Board

Like you, Rhonda, I have the Walmart version...
My daughter's home is a 5th Generation farmhouse. And did she ever inherit some goodies!
One being a vintage, wooden ironing board. It's awesome! If I ever came across one like that, I'd pick it up in a N.Y. minute!

[Doloris]

Re: Ironing Board

You just need to imagine what my mind saw with no coffee yet when I read this

LOL ok I meant sit IT on top of your ironing board. I'm afraid my ironing board wouldn't last too long with me sitting on it.

[Lightwriter]

Re: Ironing Board

I hated my Walmart ironing board. The legs had actually buckled one day when I was pressing.I read about Jenny's board and all of a sudden, I had a brainstorm. My daughter had a drafting board she used in college and then left under the bed here at home. It had been under the bed multiple years....so I figured I had first rights to it since I bought it for her. I took it upstairs, padded it with some batting, and clipped some cheap fabric on top of it (Did nothing permanent in case she ever claims the thing again.) I had two old stereo speakers (huge, in a wooden case) and I sat it on the speakers. I love this ironing area. It is large enough to actually spread things out on to press/iron.

My whole sewing room is pretty much reusing items meant for other things to iron/sew/cut on. Not fancy, but it works.

[Genny]

Re: Ironing Board

Doloris, I'm sorry...but I burst out laughing when you said to sit on your ironing board

[KathyCrofoot]

Re: Ironing Board

Rhonda, if I may - what makes your ironing board a "piece of crap"?
I know that sounds like an obvious question - we each have our own likes and dislikes. Then decide what you WANT in an ironing surface. When I was going for a new surface, I had 2 major requirements:

1. Stability - I have 2 cats that sometimes like to help me hold down the fabric
2. A surface big enough that I don't have to skootch the fabric around when doing the full width of fabric (not tapered on one end)
   • Bonus would be extra storage
   • Not really expensive like I saw in the catalogs.

My ironing board wobbles and was getting a bit rusty from the steam (and spilled water from the iron). I really hated the tapered end. I put a new cover on it because I knew I was getting a new one, so I had to decide did I want another ironing board or a new cabinet that I could use for ironing or something else?

I know regular fold-up ironing boards come with two kinds of feet - the t-shaped and the 4-footed type. Decide which one you think is more to your liking and then only look at that type. The board on top would be separate anyway - so don't use that in your decision. Find the ironing board that you really like, that fits your budget and space, and get that one. Then decide on the size of the board your husband can make on top.

I like that mine can fit a fat quarter without moving it and that I can do a whole width of fabric at a time. So it's about 60" long by 22" wide with storage underneath. It takes up a big chunk of space, but I had the room. I do have a little ironing pad I made with a towel and some muslin, a piece of ironing board fabric (that silver stuff) that I put on a TV tray next to me at retreats for pressing blocks.

Sorry for all the words - not enough coffee. I tend to get excited first thing in the morning...

[bubba]

Re: Ironing Board

I have one from Bed, Bath, and Beyond bought w/a 20% off coupon. It is 18" x 4' in size and has a holder on the end for your iron.

[Rhonda D. Matzker]

Re: Ironing Board

The top of mine seems to have buckled a little at one end so when I press or iron large pieces of material I this "lump" I am ironing over and it drives me nuts (not comment auntiemern because I know that isn't a long drive-lol). I have no where to put the iron when not use so it gets in the way when I try to move fabric around. It isn't large enough and there isn't enough padding. I know I am complaining about a lot of things, I just don't like the thing.

[KathyCrofoot]

Re: Ironing Board

The top of mine seems to have buckled a little at one end so when I press or iron large pieces of material I this "lump" I am ironing over and it drives me nuts (not comment auntiemern because I know that isn't a long drive-lol). I have no where to put the iron when not use so it gets in the way when I try to move fabric around. It isn't large enough and there isn't enough padding. I know I am complaining about a lot of things, I just don't like the thing.

now that we know what you don't like - can you decide what you really want? Sounds like you really do need a new ironing board because the top is warped. I put an old towel on top of my ironing board under the cover to give it some padding. I go through a lot of covers - in fact I washed 3 of them this morning. I tend to use a lot of starch when making triangles... Before I got the big ironing station, I kept a space clear on the table next to my ironing board to rest the iron when I needed to move the fabric around. If your hubby is at all handy (not like mine who hands me the phone to call the handy-man) then he might be able to fashion a top for your ironing board from a piece of plywood...