Finally Crossed the Finish Line

I finally got 2 projects done this weekend that I had started and then moved away from. Don't you just love that feeling when you finally get something done that's been hanging out there a while? Unfortunately, I have quite a few of those projects to choose from. Not necessarily craft projects but just general stuff around the house I need to hunker down and get done. Like closets. We are fortunate enough to have quite a bit of closet space in our house, but then the flip side is, they just accumulate and they need cleaning out frequently. And my laundry room... the general household shelves in there need cleaning out so I can reorganize and make my laundry room a fun place to be! And my craft room. I have done quite a bit of cleaning out in there (used to be the kids playroom) but I still need to reorganize and figure out the best set up for the space ~ and the fun part: the color scheme and decorating!

Which brings me to one of my projects I finally finished was my ironing board makeover. As some of you can probably agree, they can get kinda nasty sometimes. My board is/was bright turquoise (with screeeeeeeching legs whenever you folded it up or down) and a boring bluish, ugly, stained cover. This is what I'm talking about:

some of these are shadows, but the large spotted blob in the middle are stains

So I sprayed some WD-40 on the tracking underneath and whatever the other mechanism is called. :) And took off the rubber legs to prepare it for a new paint job.

And since it was a while from when I painted it to when I made the cover, I can't seem to find any pictures of the painting process, but it's pretty basic - I just spray painted it.

Materials needed:

1 can coordinating spray paint {optional} you don't have to paint yours
5 yards of 1/2" ribbon
Large safety pin
Coordinating thread
Enough fabric for your ironing board size (this same concept would work for a table top too) My ironing board is 13.5"L x 52"W x 1" deep. I just picked some home decor fabric I had in my stash, which was some ivory & black toile print by Mill Creek Fabrics and it was 58" wide. I used little less than 2 yards. If I remember correctly, I got it on clearance at Hobby Lobby for like $4 or $7/yd. I have blackish countertops, file cabinets and black curtains hanging on my closet in my craft room so I'm kinda thinking of going with a black/ivory/red color scheme. But I'm not promising anything. I'm a woman, it's my perogative to change my mind. :)

 

I skimmed this tutorial as inspiration, then sort of did my own thing. So, the first thing I did was lay out my fabric and put my ironing board on top. I figured 1.5" for the seam allowance and about 3.5" for the gathering,  so using a disappearing ink marking pen, I marked every so often 5" from the edges all around my board.

sorry, looks like someone bled all over my board!

 Once you get all your markings done, connect them all for your outline.

 Next, cut out your "pattern."

I then used my serger to serge all around the outer edge. If you don't have a serger, then by all means run out and get one. Ha, just kidding. You can zig-zag stitch around if you want. 

Fold over your edge 1/2" and press. Fold over again, 1" and press.

Next, pin your pressed edges down. It will pucker when you get to the rounded part of the cover, but just make sure you pin them down the best you can.

Then sew all around your edge using 1/4" seam allowance from the inside (folded) edge.

Take your ribbon and find your largest safety pin. And I mean largest because that really helps! Attach it to the end of your ribbon and start feeding in through the 2" opening you left open. 

And just scootchy your pin through, and straighten out the fabric behind you. Scootchy through, straighten out.... all the way to the end. I thought I was going to have carpal tunnel before the end because I couldn't find my regular super large safety pin I use for this.

When you're done, pull the extra ribbon through so that both hanging strands are the same length. Then lay your cover evenly on your board. I put mine on over the old cover since it was pretty thin anyway.

Then pull your 2 ribbon pieces evenly to gather it tight.

Tie the ends....... and look ~ you went from blah to "ah!!"

All ready for my first ironing job!

The fun part of making your own ironing board cover is that the possibilities are endless with all the fabric choices. You go to the store to buy one, and they're either boring or expensive. Pottery Barn has some that are nice patterns, but $29 (+ shipping). And if you get your home decor fabric 40-50% off with a Jo-Ann or Hobby Lobby coupon, you can make one for far less than that! Is your ironing board ready for a makeover?

I will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting for the reveal of my other finished project. I'm running out of time posting for now since I need to clean up the aftermath of destruction in my kitchen from preparing for a birthday party. Work before play.... :)

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