Tales of ironing board cover woes!

15 years ago

I just spent almost an hour fashioning an ironing board cover from a pieces of cotton, pieces of batting and the padding from the previous cover. Stuck fingers and rising temper later, I want to know why I can't get a decent ironing board cover???

Earlier this year I spent $25 on a cover from Bed, Bath, and Beyond thinking that it looked really sturdy and the padding felt very heavy. I've NEVER spent that much money on a cover before. Usually for $6-8 dollars I could get a cover that lasted several years with normal *quilting* use. But this cover scorched with the first use and over the past few months became really scorched and torn so I cut it off the other day. The pad was quite thick, if slightly scorched so I left it on.

Yesterday I bought a cover at Walmart for $8.95, brought it home and began to put it on the ironing board when ...RIIIIP! Yep! the fabric ripped in several places before I could even get it on!!! Totally POed I took it back last night and got my money back.

So has anyone bought a decent ironing board cover and where did you find it and how long has it lasted for you?

Thanks for any help!

Teresa

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Comments (19)

mayme
15 years ago
I buy mine at JoAnn's. Use the 40% off coupon.
Seems to last a long time. Sorry you've had such a bad time. I can remember my Mom used to pin an old sheet
on for a cover.
Mayme
0
kathi_mdgd
15 years ago
I make all mine,very easy 20 minute project.I buy muslin when Joanns has a sale,and most of the time that's what i use.I have on occassion made a printed(floral) ones,but i tend to like the solids better,so i stick with muslin.

If you search the archives for ironing board covers,you should find the old posts pertaining to this.
Kathi
0
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rosajoe_gw
15 years ago
I have the same complaints!!!!!
I usually don't bother washing, just throw away and buy a new one. I have even used 2 at a time on my ironing board for a nice padding.
Last year I found one in a thrift shop for $2, I don't know what brand because everything had been taken out of the package. It was old, but it is the best cover I have found in a long time.
I have washed it twice now and it is still holding up.
After this one starts to wear I am going to start making my own covers.
Rosa
0
calliope
15 years ago
I faced that last week when I replaced mine. I remembered seeing what looked like a new one in my mother's basement. One of those soft metallic ones. Vintage, I'm sure from the sixties or seventies. Heavy. I saved my padding from my old cover, and slapped that dude on. How sweet it was, and holds the pins when I am pinning seams. So much stuff anymore is cheep....cheep...cheep like chickens. LOL. Regardless of the price you pay for them. I guess the wallyworld mentality is who irons anymore? Well seamstresses do.

I also considered making my own. I almost saved the old board cover for a template. I'd use plenty of padding, even old cotton quilt batting should work well to make it soft and yet firm.
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geezerfolks_SharonG_FL
15 years ago
I use my big board almost exclusively...made my own covering for it and for the table top one. I couldn't even find a cover to buy for the table top board!

SharonG/FL
0
teresa_nc7
Original Author
15 years ago
Well, I went through my stash and found some nice heavy, home dec fabric in a bright green plaid. Did a burn test and it appears to be cotton. Did a Google search and came up with some great tutorials on how to make my own IBC (ironing board cover!). So that is what I plan to do as soon as I can find the time.

One tute recommended covering the inner pad with muslin and machine quilting the two together which would help save on the wear and tear of the pad. I can put my pieces of batting under the heavy pad and muslin on top for a very thick pad under the cover.

If I learn to make my own, I won't have to ever depend on a shoddy ready-made cover again. Yippeeeee!
Teresa
0
damascusannie
15 years ago
We made our own big board, too. The main cover is heavy canvas, but I always put on a "disposable" cover of muslin since the starch that I use to prep my fabric makes a mess over time.

Annie
0
grammyp
15 years ago
Since I made my big board, that is all I use. DH takes his dress shirts to the cleaners and other than quilts, that is all I need to iron. Before that I was replacing covers monthly. They just don't make them like they used to.

beverly
0
gillian_41
15 years ago
I brought a 24"x48" folding table from Office Depot took the top of replaced it with a 3/4" piece of plywood drilled holes all in the wood, brought some of the silver stuff then made layers of batting and cotton fabric then covered it all with muslin, now all I have to do its take the staples out when the muslin get ugly looking and put a new piece on. I made another one for my friend she is alot taller than me so I brought some PVC pipe and made it height she wanted.

Gillian.
0
bluebars
15 years ago
I use my big board almost exclusively too. When the first cover wore out, I bought one from JoAnns. It was a heavy fabric with a red grid (which can't be accurate LOL as it shifts and bends). Anyhoo, I don't like it because when ironing yardage, it grips the fabric too much; one little slip and you have ironed in a nice little crease. Then, to move the yardage, you have to really peeeeeeel it off. SOoooo, I made a new cover, patterned with the original old one, serged around and inserted an elastic string just like the original old one. And life is good again.
BlueBars
0
kathi_mdgd
15 years ago
If you can find some old wool blankets at the thrift store,they make great padding under the covers.
Kathi
0
carolek
15 years ago
I use the metalic cover that hasn't scorched and seems to make ironing smoother than plain cloth. It does tend to shift after a while, which I tolerate until the gathering cord brakes and I replace it.
0
User
15 years ago
I have a mini board on my kitchen counter whose cover is shot, I've been thinking of making one of muslin & elastic. I don't use this to quilt on anymore since getting a full size board a couple of yrs. ago. But I DO use it in the kitchen to drain wet dishes, glassware, etc.

I'm hoping I can just trace the pattern, add an inch or so & then add the elastic or gathering string. Anybody ever tried to make one so casually?
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teresa_nc7
Original Author
15 years ago
I think you need to add more than just an inch or so, pirate girl.

Here is a good tutorial:

Here is a link that might be useful: The Purl Bee Ironing Board Recovery Project
0
wendyfaye
15 years ago
I still want one like Jennifer's.

Faye
0
biwako_of_abi
15 years ago
For years I made my own ironing board covers. For one thing, boughten ones don't always fit right. I just put on some old towels and blankets and then muslin or a sheet on top. Any fitting is confined to slapping the layers on the board and cutting a very rough outline of it so that the layers hang down for 4 or 5 inches all around. Then I use safety pins to shape it around both ends, and in the middle I use two or three of those elastic tape with clips or pincers on both ends to pull the sides of the layers towards each other.

However, last time, I got lazy and was tempted by an ad, or maybe something I read online, that claimed a certain board cover would never get burned. I bought one. It truly doesn't get burned, but what I don't like about it is that it seems as slippery as if it were made of horsehair. DH's shirts and other things tend to fall off it. Pleated skirts are a nightmare. Probably it has some spun glass fibers in it. And at the slightest chance, the tip of the bottom blade of my fiscars catches in it and makes a slit. It cuts very easily. I think next time I'll go back to making my own cover.
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sewfine
15 years ago
I always make mine with natural canvas and make 2 while I'm at it. I use bias on the underside the string elastic through, place on ironing board and pull very tight and knot.
Good luck. Kaye
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calliope
15 years ago
I am sitting here chuckling at Biwako's remark about the scissor cuts. The reason I finally pitched my old cover (it needed pitched anyway, all nasty and scorched) was that I went to use my rotary cutter and forgot to put the mat under it. LOLOL.
0
biwako_of_abi
15 years ago
Oh my goodness, Calliope! It was just a good thing that the cover was old already.
0

Tales of ironing board cover woes!

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Tales of ironing board cover woes!

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