I have to admit that one of my least favorite household chores is ironing. I would wash a pile of dirty dishes before I would volunteer to iron a dress shirt, and my aversion to ironing isn't made any better by the fact that I'm in desperate need of a cute ironing board cover. It's been so hard for me to find one I like that I decided it was time to make my own. The funny thing about it is that I was putting it off for so long, but it really was one of the easiest sewing DIYs I've ever attempted—no really! 
Supplies: Cotton fabric (here's the adorable fabric I used), ironing board, fabric scissors, elastic (mine is 1/4 wide), straight pins, safety pin. 
1. Remove the existing cover on your ironing board. Lay your fabric right side down on the floor and lay your ironing board upside down on top of your fabric. Use your scissors to cut the fabric around the ironing board about 3 inches from the board edge. 2. Fold a 1 inch hem all the way around the fabric edge and secure with straight pins. Sew around the edge leaving a 1/2 inch seam allowance, but leave a 1 inch opening so you can insert your elastic into the hem. 3. Attach a large safety pin to the beginning of your elastic and use this to thread your elastic all the way around your hem and out the other end (just feel for the safety pin in the hem and push it forward from the outside). 4. Once you've gone all the way around with your elastic, pull the elastic sides tight and make a knot with the two strands. Trim your extra elastic. You want the elastic to be tight enough to keep the cover taut, but loose enough to remove the cover for washing, etc. 
So how easy was that?? Answer: so easy. Not only do I have a new ironing board cover in a fraction of the time I thought it would take, I may actually now be excited to iron something. Whoa. Things are getting pretty crazy around here. xo. Laura
Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman
56 Comments
I absolutely hate my ironing board cover and I’m not a maniac who’s going to buy a new ironing board because of that! So this is perfect for me! Also, love that fabric!
So cute and easy! And I love the fabric you chose! My ironing board is a similar shade of blue, but with weird stripes. So not cool- definitely going to have to make a new cover. Thanks for the tips!
XO_BITS
if i ever get it together enough to buy an ironing board instead of using my kitchen table, this will be how i do it!
http://semiweeklyeats.blogspot.com/2014/01/whats-in-my-bag.html
Cute cute cute! The ones that come on the ironing boards are always kinda boring and/or ugly. This is just too cute of an idea. Love it!
I’ve had that fabric sitting in my Etsy favorites lists for months! I’m saving it for something camping related… A bag, camper curtains, something! It’s gorgeous.
I’m also really excited about this DIY! My ironing board needs a new cover badly, the current one is too big and falls off each time I pull it out of the closet (which makes me less inclined to use it). Thanks for the inspiration!
I have been meaning to cover my ironing board for awhile. I always have it set up in my sewing room and it doesn’t match my decor. I need to start searching for prints now. Thanks!
Vintagehoneybee.blogspot.com
Sounds way easy and a great way to get better quality than the ones you can buy! Thank you
Great, this is a very easy idea. I think the key is choosing a fun colorful clothe to forget you have to do the ironing (which is tedious!)
I love this idea! I just was looking for a new ironing board, but there aren’t any cute ones that I could find. I can’t wait to try out this DIY!
xoxo
Taylor
http://www.welcomehometaylor.com
Great job! I prefer ironing too, you can hunt me down with dishes -.- It’s my least favorite thing to do.
But standing in front of the TV with a couple of laundry baskets can’t be more relaxing 🙂
Unfortunately I don’t have a Ironing board here and it wouldn’t be worth buying it due I’m going to move soon but i will have your great idea back in my head for the next apartment 😉
Great idea, definitely need to refresh my ironing board! 🙂
http://fairytaleprettypicture.co.uk
Looks great and your tutorial seems easy enough to follow. I’d be ashamed to show you what my current cover looks like, lol!
Love it! I’m with ya on the ironing. It can be so tedious! But I’m loving the DIY board cover! Anything to brighten up the ironing process! 🙂
Love it! How much fabric did you use?
This is great, could make it in some really funky fabrics
Lauren
livinginaboxx
You know what? I love ABM and I’m following your posts for over a year or two now, but I think tutorials like that are kind of… dummy. Come on. These ideas are so simple and in my opinion it’s not very ambitious to put that here. In some “top 20 ideas…” maybe – it’s fine. But sadly, I don’t feel like it’s an inspiration but just filling a blog with anything.
This looks easy enough:) Thanks for the great idea.
http://elierey.blogspot.com/
I would love to try this, but I don’t even own one! I need to work on it first 🙂
I just love that fabric! Thanks for introducing me to that shop. That’s certainly the cutest ironing board I’ve ever seen.
Great idea and I absolutely love the fabric! The other fabrics were really cool as well.
I love the fabric you chose! I may have to go get some for myself!
I don’t even own an ironing board, but this is really cute!
This was my next project in line 🙂
I bought a black and white fabric for mine and I think the crafts room is gonna look much better with the new cover. Thanks for the tutorial!
This makes me wish I had an ironing board haha but we have a steamer thing…
The Artistically Challenged: Beauty, Fashion, Music, Lifestyle Blog
Love this project! Is there anything we need to be aware of when choosing fabric? Obviously, nothing polyester, but are there any types of fabrics whose colors will bleed onto things we’re ironing? Thanks for the great idea!
Aw this is so adorable! The teepees are an adorable print!
I love this! That fabric is adorable. Beautiful! 🙂
what a fun pattern!
xxoo,
nikki
http://www.dreaminneon.blogspot.com
This is such a simple yet chic diy! I would love to make it for my mom!
~Grace
http://liivingingrace.blogspot.ca/
this is so cute! i hate ironing too, to the point where there’s a good chance i won’t by a piece of clothing if it’s something that will need to be ironed. and i never iron my fiance’s stuff or stuff like bedsheets (like my mom always does). a tip i got from apartment therapy about ironing though, is to have a beer while you’re doing it. you know, to make it a bit more fun? or even swap that beer for a cocktail for an extra treat?
I love your posts!!! 🙂
Great post! I always have extra yardage left over, and whilst I don’t really iron any of our clothes (HEY! I live in Hawaii, it’s all about casual Friday every day) I DO iron a lot for my sewing projects! Thank you;)
I’ll definetely have to try this!! Thanks 4 sharing <3
Wonderful idea and pretty pattern!
Lulu xx
https://www.luluslittlewonderland.blogspot.com
This is such a cute idea 🙂
Sophie
http://what-sophie-said.blogspot.co.uk/
xxx
This is super cute, but if you ever truly tire of ironing – buy a steamer! I picked one up at Target a couple of years ago for around $40 and it was a serious game changer for my laundry situation. I use it nearly every day before work!
Love this project- who knew Ironing board covers could be fun?
http://owlduchess.wordpress.com/
Owl Duchess: Feminism and Crafts in one blog!
I would say it’s probably worth pre-washing your fabric, to get out any extra dye, and then test out ironing a bit of white cloth on it before you start sewing with it, you don’t want to be halfway through ironing a white dress shirt and find that the colours are bleeding from the ironing board cover onto your shirt!
I’d love to cutomize my ironing board! The fabric you chose it perfect! x
http://moiraparton.blogspot.co.uk/
Uhhh, I hate ironing but I would be more inclined to do it if I had a cute cover like this one!
http://delectabledarlings.com/
OoooOooh, I love that fabric too! And, of course, I love the idea. Everyone needs a bit more fun while ironing, right? What a chore! Great work, now, off to…recover my ironing board!
How much fabric did you use?
I need a new ironing board cover so badly, definitely going to go make this right now! Thanks for the easy tutorial!
great idea and super cute fabric! I’ve had this on my “to-do” list for a while and you just inspired me to finally do it!
http://crissybell.blogspot.com
Thank you SO much for sharing this one! We have one ironing board cover that’s really old. I think I’ll make three or something and have them go through washes consecutively as well. Thanks again <3 I don't mind ironing much. Mostly because I watch or listen to something at the same time, and my yeah... I get paid lol.
It was my birthday yesterday! Check out my birthday post? http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2014/01/my-birthday.html
This is such a great idea!! And, I have something very random to say hahahah the scissors is so chic. I love the fold on the handle hehe hahahahahh :p
DreamerDreamBigger
Nice idea! There just aren’t any decent covers out there! 🙂 Really liking your additions to the blog Laura 🙂
Yep, I definitely need to do this as I use my ironing board all the time! My present ironing board cover is a shocking hideous avacado green. In my defense, it was free.
-Rebecca
mn2nz.wordpress.cm
Did you pad the ironing board or cover?
I just recovered my Ironing board about 2 week ago didn’t think to turn the board upside down though actually cut a pattern out of newspaper.The hint to turn upside down would have helped me.
That is a really good idea. I have never had a cover that fits right. One thing that was not mentioned is that you need a good thick pad under that lovely cover or ironing will be a more miserable job than it has to be. I too hate ironing!!
I don’t agree with Ania at all. People looking at these blogs are at all different levels of experience. I would not have even thought to make my own ironing board cover. I have a small table top board and it is hard to find a new cover. If I do find one, it usually costs more than I paid for the board! Thanks Janet
Ok, I´m confessing: I don´t have an iron board. When I iron, do I use my bed as a surface.
I was curious about the heat-resistant padding that would go underneath the fabric…I know you could use the original one but mine is so flattened that the holes in the ironing board actually create marks on my clothes. This is definitely perfect timing for me to find this cause I’ll be doing one…just wondering if there was a padding you recommended.
Ooooo great idea! Now I can make one for the hideous ironing board we have in university halls right now!
is it going to be okay if the edges aren’t exactly 3″ all the way around? I’m covering a table top like this and the sides come about 3.5″ away from the selvedge. I was going to cut 3″ around the top and leave the sides alone. I don’t want to waist my ironing board fabric because I need it for something else, so I just wanted to know if it will make a difference before I trim.
Sorry for all the questions. I’m new to sewing and I’ve screwed up a couple projects by making a judgement call like this. Thanks.