Sometimes, synthetic materials are so ubiquitous in our lives that I often overlook simpler/ natural alternatives until I ask myself if a DIY avenue is possible. For all the countless ironing board covers that I have been replacing over the years, I always blindly pick one from the shelf pondering over only the size and pattern design but never the material composition. There wasn’t much choices available at the supermarket where I usually buy my covers from and technology all seems to be pointing towards a shinier and easier-to-glide surface for a perfect press anyway.
When the latest cover accidently got burnt by a wrong temperature setting (note to self: focus!) and let off a plasticky whiff, I started wondering if I should seek a better cover made of a thicker material with a higher heat resistance level. I started recalling how my mom used to make us do our ironing seated on the floor without an iron board. What lies underneath the garment is just a huge piece of heavy cotton canvas that has been folded multiple times to create a thick pad. And after we were done, the canvas was stowed away nicely in the wardrobe, unlike the modern bulky standing iron board that sticks out like a sore thumb propped against one side of my bedroom wall. I don’t intend to discard my ironing board since I have grown accustomed to doing my ironing while standing, but this brief reminiscence reminded me of a piece of cotton cloth that could be perfect for this DIY.
The cotton cloth fits the dimension of the ironing board nicely, but I wasn’t in the mood to sew this by hand, yet. Instead, I retain the damaged cover (a temporary pad since I find the cotton not thick enough) and start manoeuvring the cloth around to wrap the cover and the ironing board. If you can make your own bed or wrap a present neatly, this should not be difficult.
When it comes to the narrowest end of the ironing board, I can’t tuck in all the excess fabric without obstructing the folding parts of the the board for storage. Instead, I used a hair tie to gather the bulk end tightly to keep this part of the board tapered and neatly so that the cover doesn’t move around when ironing.
I am working on part 2 of this DIY : finding a suitable padding material and putting everything together, sewn by hand. But if you are lucky enough to own a sewing machine, here are few links that will be useful:
MONO and CO 