It's the start of courses at the "Joly" workshop and to welcome the new students, we wanted to make it look nice.

The ironing board cover that served us so well last year has been put to the test 😂 Between the kids, forgetting the iron on the board, the fusible interfacing... Since this board serves us so well, it was time to thank it and give it a makeover... So I took the time to make a pretty new cover!

I took the time to summarize the steps so you can make one at home too!

Let's get started!

Supplies

To sew an ironing board cover, you will need:
- durable fabric
- matching good quality thread
- a thin elastic (less than 1cm)
and that's all!

For the fabric choice, I recommend a canvas or a 100% cotton oxford. Canvas is a sturdy cotton fabric that is relatively thick and is often used for cushion covers, bags, jackets... The fact that it is 100% cotton is also very important because cotton withstands heat well, an essential quality for an ironing board cover.

Of course, I left the commercial cover (not very pretty) underneath our cover to benefit from the padding it contains. If you want to add padding to your board, I recommend using thermolam, which provides good padding but is especially designed to resist heat.

I chose a nicely floral Japanese canvas that I really liked and that would match well with the workshop wallpaper.

The pattern

To sew our ironing board cover, we will need some muscle 😂, let me explain.
After washing and ironing the fabric, lay it on the floor with the wrong side up, and place the ironing board upside down on it. Let the fabric extend beyond the edges of the board on all sides.
Draw the outline of the board with a water or heat erasable marker, chalk... You can put the ironing board back in place. Using a Japanese ruler or straight edge, draw a line 10cm from the edge of the board all around.

Ta-da! The pattern is ready! Now just cut the fabric!

The tutorial

Once your piece is cut, I recommend overlocking the edges with a serger or using a zigzag stitch.

Next, we will prepare the casing by folding a simple 2cm hem around the edge of the cover. To help you, I recommend using an aluminum gauge and of course, pressing with a bit of steam.

The most difficult part will be making the hem around the curves of the board, so don't hesitate to press this area well. Stitch the hem with a straight stitch 1.5cm from the edge, leaving a 10cm opening on the right side of the board to insert the elastic.

Pin one end of your elastic with a safety pin and thread the elastic through the casing via the opening we left. Go all the way around to come out the other side of the opening.

Place your cover on the board and pull the elastic to stretch the cover over the table.

The cover should fit snugly on the board but still be removable.

Remove the cover and stitch the two ends of the elastic together. Trim the elastic ends and tuck it back into its casing.

Stitch the opening we left closed.

Ta-da! The ironing board cover is finished and ready to welcome all our students!

And there you go, isn't my new cover beautiful?

Plus, it perfectly matches the lovely wallpaper in the workshop. It's always nice to have pretty things in sight... I am delighted with my new ironing board cover which sews up super fast but is more than necessary in the life of a sewing workshop.

And you, tempted by the ironing board cover adventure? You will find beautiful canvas fabrics in the shop or on the website, feel free to take a look.

So, once again, grab your needles!