It has been so hard sewing without my big ironing board and I’m so glad to have it back.
I have a big board that fits over a regular ironing board but I love having the shelves underneath for storage. Want to make one of your own . . very inexpensively? Mine is about 10 years old and still works like a charm. Here’s how we made mine.
One day while we lived in Kentucky, I saw this pine book case . . cheap . . on sale for $10. It isn’t terribly sturdy so we added the bracing across the back and once the big board is on it and the shelves are loaded with books or projects, it’s plenty sturdy.
At the top of each those three boards on the sides, Vince drilled a hole into which a screw would go. Then he made a paper template and marked the top of a piece of plywood and drilled the holes in the plywood. The screws are the kind that are recessed into the plywood so there’s a smooth surface once they’re screwed all the way down.
The top is actually a piece of 1″ plywood that was discarded at a construction site where a friend’s husband was building a garage and I asked if I could have it and he said yes. That was free! 
I’m sure 3/4″ plywood would be sufficient for this project or maybe 1/2″. Depending on the size plywood you use on top, you may have to remove the top if you want to move it from room to room . . or house to house . . or in my case, state to state!
The top of my board is 32″ x 52″ but you can make it any size you like.
Screw the top onto the base, aligning the pre-drilled holes.
I was so proud of myself for saving the screws and being able to find them. I wasn’t so lucky with the staple gun! When I asked Vince about putting the ironing board together, he said “Do we need to buy more screws?” No, thank you, Mr. Laquidara! I know exactly where they are!
For the padding, I use 100% cotton batting. Polyester or a poly blend might melt, depending on the heat generated by your iron and how long you hold the iron in place. It’s better to be safe and use 100% cotton. Depending on the thickness desired for your pad, use multiple layers. I used 4 layers of Warm & Natural batting. If you use cotton batting for your quilting projects, save the scraps. I use big pieces and don’t mind piecing the padding. Spread each layer smoothly to be sure there are no wrinkles. Allow the batting to extend over the edges by an inch or so. Once the covering is stapled onto the board, having the batting curved around the edges will prevent it from slipping around.
For the top cover, use something that is less likely to scorch and something that is thick and sturdy enough so as not to stretch or distort with the heat and steam. I’ve used a cotton duck cloth in the past but the cotton duck at Wal-Mart here looked very rough and loosely woven so I went with a tan striped ticking fabric.
Spread the fabric over the batting, leaving several inches hanging over reach edge. Start with a long row and start in the middle. Staple, using a staple gun, and place the staples every 3 or 4″ but stop about 6″ from the ends. Go to the opposite side, the other long side, and do the same thing, again starting in the middle and stopping about 6″ from the ends. Pull the fabric as tight as you can while stapling.
For the ends, start in the center and put one staple, pulling the top fabric as tight as possible. Work on your corners next, getting them as neat as possible, using as many staples as needed. No one is going to look under there but remember that some day you may have to remove it and the more staples used, the more of a hassle it is to get it off.
Go back and fill in staples as needed. Then . . fill up those shelves with projects or books!
thanks for the instructions! I don’t know if I will ever have a place to put a large board but it is nice knowing how to make one if I ever have the space!
Karen
Karen, you can make it any size you need and have the shelves underneath so it actually gives you more room — or that’s how I think about it.
My mother had an in house drape and slipcover business….
When she built her tables she would use a strip of paste board…(about the weight of a cereal box in that day and age) between the staple and the final cloth that was stretched over the table top…. that way she could take it apart and wash the top as needed….. some of the darker home decor fabrics would leave residue.
After she washed the top she would put the cover on the table still damp… that way when it dried it would pull even tighter. This was before rotary cutters and we actually did a lot of the cutting on that slightly padded surface . The fabric would not slip or slide as easy and made for more precise cutting.
I will have to save this post! My husband has made me a larger ironing surface that fits over a standard ironing board. I think it will have to be redone in the future and the idea of storage underneath is sure appealing! I will also need to add a few more layers of batting and a thicker more durable cloth. The problem that I am having with my current “big” board is warping. I think it is from all the steam and heat. Any thoughts on this?
I have used mine for close to 10 years and I use a steam generator iron and have not had any warping.
I love this. I think I would make it with a hinge on the back side so I could fold it against the wall if I needed to since I have a small space. I would love one as big as yours but not gonna happen until our new house is built.
WiAmy, I think if you use the 1 inch plywood you would have less chance of warping. The thinner the board the more the heat will affect it.
I’m not sure what you would hinge it to the way mine is set up. You could have a different setup with the legs but mine sits on top, with the legs in the middle but I’m sure there’s a different design that would work fine to be hinged.
My husband made me one like this, originally he had some wood underneath so that it went one the ironing board. I take it to retreat with me, it’s so useful to have such a big area.
I went to two different shops for sew days over the last couple of weeks. They had smaller surfaces but had used the metallic fabric on them. I really hated the smell. The other thing I didn’t like was that there was no padding. I have plain muslin on mine.
I have another pressing surface made the same way. It is 2 foot square and is perfect for pressing fat quarters. I take it to sew days when taking the big board is not practical.
What a great idea! I’ve noticed that an ironing board can be tricky to iron on, especially larger quilt tops. I’ll have to make one of these some day.
I like your idea Judy. Lots of nice storage underneath. We made a similar ironing table from a garage sale find using an actual table. The first layer on top of the table is aluminum foil. Then layers of warm and natural. If I was to do this again I would use Insulbright batting. The final layer is the silver ironing board fabric. I’ve used my ironing table for 8 yrs and never replaced the top silver fabric. I like the size of yours Judy. Maybe whenever I need to redo it, I’ll make a larger surface. I have plastic drawers under my ironing table. Thanks for the tutorial.
I may have to think about the Insulbright. By the time we moved, and I had to disassemble my board, the top needed changing. The top has to come off in order to get to the screws. If we’re going to stay here and not be moving every 3 or 4 years, I may want something more permanent. I’ll see how long the ticking fabric holds up.
My big board fits over my regular ironing board. We used a piece of plywood. I got a blanket at the thrift store and we used multiple layers of that for the padding. I covered the top with the metallic ironing board cover material. I got the material at JoAnn’s. I use the left over material to put inside pot holders and mug rugs. The top material is wearing out on one end of the board-I tend to stand to the right end of the board-maybe because the left end is near the door and it accumulates stuff. I just turned the board end for end and the good end is now to the right. I will need too replace the whole cover soon though.
I really like this. I wish I had room in my sewing room to have an ironing board that didn’t need to be moved around all the time… A friend of mine did make a “big board” for me that fits over the ironing board. I’m glad to have one that is portable, but I’d sure love to have the shelf-style one day!
Put locking casters on it. Then you can move it around easily.
A friend and I are starting an afterschool sewing class for our jr high kids. We have twenty students signed up. I am so excited. We start this coming Monday! I asked my husband to cut a board from his work shop and I’m gonna fix an ironing board for the class. Our first project is the tube pillowcase. The kids really picked out cute fabrics.
nice tutorial on the ironing board mine is similar except Marc (dh)used 3 lower kitchen cabinets for the base put it on wheels. We used insulbrite under the batting to help protect the wood also used cotton duct for the top. I love my ironing surface.
Gosh this post makes me miss my sewing room even more! My DH thinks it is “ghetto” to leave the ironing board out all the time, plus it is in the way where I have to set it up in order to have light–so it is in and out of the closet all the time. I like your bookcase idea very much and will store that for the someday when DS moves out again and my sewing room reappears
(I think it’s ghetto to store food on the top of the fridge!)
Having a big ironing surface is so handy. My covering materials are a bit different than yours. I put carpet padding on the wood and cover that with felt then cover that with light canvas. I also used permanent marker and have straight edges drawn from one corner so I can line up fabric. You can also get stick on ruler tape which is handy for larger projects like home dec rather than quilting.
I like the idea of shelving underneath also. I have a similar homemade that fits my ironing board, with a frame made of 1″ x 1″ boards screwed to the bottom of the “big board” to hold it in place. Just laid the ironing board on the underside of the big board to mark placement for the frame. I like the fact that I can easily remove the “big board” and use it by itself on a tabletop if necessary; say, if we need an extra ironing board at retreat. We can put the big board on a table, and can still use the ironing board by itself. I think I’d do the same with the bookshelf. Just make the frame fit the top of the bookcase, attach the frame to the bottom of the “big board”, and set it on top of the bookcase. Yep, I”d put the whole thing on casters too! May have to do just that for a new one! Hmm.
At my previous home, I sewed in the guest bedroom, so I just laid my big 3′ x 4′ ironing board on top of my bed. When guests came, I picked it up and stored it behind a door or under the bed. It was 3/8 inch plywood, so it was very manageable in weight but still a firm enough surface to work on. The size was a good happy medium also. A couture seamstress advised me to use 2 layers of 100% Wool as a base with a firm woven cotton on top. Steam each layer after securing it on and it shrinks tight. It works beautifully even today, 25 years later! It also works well sitting on top of a regular folding table.
I love this. This one you have shelfs under to use also. Better than a normal ironing board.