How to Make a Quilter's Ironing Board Table

I've been busy spring cleaning. One of my projects was to replace the fabric on my ironing board table. I made this ironing board table when I first started to quilt. I've recovered it twice so I decided it needed to be torn apart and recovered again.

MATERIALS:
2' x 4' MDF wood or a size to your requirement
1 1/2 yards insul-bright (heat resistant batting) required for 2' x 4' board
1 1/2 yards batting ( I used a crib size pre-packaged batting)
1 1/2 yards duck fabric
1 1/2 yards decorative fabric (this will be the final layer of your cover)
staple gun
1/4" staples and 1/2" staples
non-flammable temporary spray adhesive
scissors
small hammer

Note about MDF wood: I use steam frequently and I haven't had a problem with the wood warping.

INSTRUCTIONS:
First decide how big you want to make your ironing table. I wanted mine to be 2' x 4'. Home Depot has MDF in stock already cut to this size.

 I wanted 12 inches to extend past my table to make my work surface longer. I screwed a small board under my ironing board so that it would hold it steady to the edge of the table.

I cut the insul-bright to extend 2 1/2 inches past the edges of the board. I smoothed it down and attached the insul-bright to the bottom of the ironing table one edge at a time pulling it tight as I stapled.  I used 1/4" staples.

 I then cut the batting the same size and attached it to the table with the staple gun. Pulling it tight as I stapled.

I also wrote a note on the exposed wood on the bottom of the board specifying how much fabric I would need for recovering next time.

Next I cut a piece of duck fabric the same size and stapled it to the table. At this point I needed to switch to 1/2" staples.

This step is optional. I applied a non-flammable spray adhesive to the duck cloth then I positioned my decorative cover fabric on top. I smoothed out all the wrinkles and laid it fabric side down to allow it to set for a few minutes.

I trimmed the fabric and proceeded to staple it to the back of the board as I pulled the fabric along the way.

At the corners I stapled the fabric from both sides and stapled the fabric at the folded miter. As I stapled, I tucked the excess fabric under the folded miter.

  

Finished and ready to use for ironing. Next project will be a table skirt to hide my storage area underneath!

Double Binding Dilemma

One of the first quilt books I bought was the Big Book of Small Quilts by Mary Hickey. I've made two wall quilts contained in this book and another is on my bucket list. I used the Starry Path pattern for the wall quilt I made in memory of my mother. I call the quilt Esther's Star.

With each quilt I make, I like to try a new technique to expand my skills. With this quilt I wanted to learn how to add a double binding. The original pattern did not have a double binding but I thought it would add a pop of color. My first attempt was very disappointing. It's more a radius than a corner!

I finished binding the quilt but was definitely not happy with the results on any of the "corners".

A few months later I stumbled upon Susan K. Cleveland's Piping Hot Binding technique. Her corners are so crisp and the piping is so small. I knew this method would look great on Esther's Star so I bought her Groovin' Piping Trimming Tool in the original size and ripped out the old binding. The Groovin' Piping Trimming Tool can be purchased at Susan K. Cleveland's website  www.PiecesBeWithYou.com. She has some links to her YouTube videos teaching this method on her website too.

 I tried a 5 groove pintuck foot but ultimately I decided to use a zipper foot.

I am very happy with the end result. I highly recommend Susan K. Cleveland's Piping Hot Binding technique and her Groovin' Piping Trimming Tool. I achieved great results on my very first corner!

Here is the finished quilt with nice square corners. 

This is what my quilt looks like on the back. With this method you can stitch your binding by hand on the back. I'm proud to display this wall quilt now.