Sister's Choice Quilts

Come On, Admit It

Let's be honest.  Is your ironing board cover disgusting?  I doubt it is as revolting a sight as mine, but I bet it  shows some signs of wear and tear.  Three years ago I made myself a new ironing board cover.  I used a tutorial by Sew Much Good, which was excellent, and had a new cover fairly painlessly in just a couple of hours.

It was about two years overdue, but I made myself a new one yesterday, using this fast and easy tutorial.  I really couldn't stand looking at that sad, stained cover for one more minute.

The first step is to cut a two yard long by 20 inches wide piece of fabric.  The great thing about this is that you and a friend could buy a two yard length of fabric, cut it in half lengthwise and each get a new ironing board cover out of it.  Or make one for now and one for later, or one for you and one for a gift.  Seriously?  My friend Lisa gave me a cute ironing board cover once, and I think it was one of the best presents I ever received.  I was thrilled.

So let me show you the process:

I flipped the ironing board on top of the wrong side of the fabric and traced around it about three inches out from the edge of the board.  I used a combination of pins, tailors chalk and a ruler.

Then I cut on my drawn line all around the piece of fabric.

The next step is to make a mile of bias tape.  Why is it I can never just do that without checking a reference book for the right technique?  I am always afraid I am doing something wrong.  After pressing the  bias tape in half, the next step is to attach it to the cover with some 1/4" wide elastic.

You carefully position the elastic on the inside fold of the bias tape and sew the raw edge of the bias tape all around the cover, being careful not to catch the elastic in your stitching.  (Check out the tutorial, the author's photos and instructions are way better than mine).

Fiddle around with the elastic until it is just right, and secure it with some stitches.  Now place your new ironing board cover on your board and fiddle a bit more until it is even and taut all around.

And there you go.  Now I just need to promise myself to do this every year instead of every three. So, how about it?  Want a new ironing board cover in a couple of hours?  Check out that tutorial and make yourself one!

And while you are here, notice in the background that all my Steampunk blocks are done!  Now I am appliquéing the center circles in place.   Lattices are next.  Ugh.  I hate making lattices.

 

A Great Tip!

Why, here is a nice roll of freezer paper.  Can you imagine what I am going to use it for?  Bet you can't!

No, I am not embarking on an applique project, but that is indeed what I originally purchased this roll of freezer paper for.  I can't remember where I got this tip, as it has been some time since I read about it, but it was in the post of a fellow blogger.  It is such a wonderful idea I have to share it with you all.  Let's give a moment of thanks to the blogger who first put the tip out there, whoever you are.  Merci beaucoup.

So here is what I am going to do:  I am going to use this freezer paper to clean all the little strings and hairs and fabric bits off my design wall!  Just how will I do that, you ask?

Pin the freezer paper (just to hold it down) and run your hot iron all over it.  Shiny side down.  Dull side to the outside where you place the iron.  You only need to pin it the first time, after you iron it the paper will lie flat.  When you peel back the paper after ironing, all the little thread bits will have stuck to the shiny side of the freezer paper!

How about that????   You can reuse each piece of freezer paper and just reposition it on the new area you are cleaning.  I used three good sized pieces for my entire design wall, and repositioned them three or four times until they were so full of threads they weren't working so well any more.

It really works great.  Now my design wall looks like it did on its first day, before I got threads stuck all over it.  I really do love this.