How to Make an Ironing Pad Cover

You may already have on hand all the supplies needed for this project. Although any heavy natural-fiber fabric can be used as an ironing board cover, the most appropriate and durable option is heat-resistant cloth. This is often marketed as “ironing board cover” and is located in the utility fabrics section of craft stores. I chose a cotton cloth that had been aluminized for heat reflection. Other options are coated with silicone or Teflon. At nearly $10 per yard, heat-resistant cloth will likely be your biggest purchase for this project.

Using yardage from my ample fabric stash, I made an optional decorative fabric cover to hide the heat-resistant cloth because I didn’t care for the gray surface. You could also upcycle an old sheet or curtains from a thrift store – just make sure they’re 100 percent cotton or linen, because you don’t want the heat of an iron to melt the cover and ruin the item you’re pressing. The cover fabric needs to be long and wide enough to cover your ironing board and extend 6 inches past its edges. I don’t recommend piecing together fabric scraps to make the cover, as the surface needs to be smooth to ensure wrinkle-free ironing. Any bumps created by seams will press through thin fabrics.

Modern metal ironing boards often have metal mesh tops to increase air circulation. High-heat ironing can cause these grid marks to be pressed into your project. A little extra padding will prevent this problem, so I like padding between the board and its heat-resistant cover. I found 100% cotton batting in my stash and cut a liner for this purpose.

You’ll need a sewing machine or hand-sewing supplies to complete this project. Don’t worry about matching the thread to the fabric, because your stitches will be hidden on the underside of the board when the finished cover is installed.

How to Make an Ironing Pad Cover

The instructions for sewing an ironing board cover are simple. Begin by spreading out the new heat-resistant cloth on a flat surface, coated side face down. Smooth out the creases. Remove the existing cover from your ironing board, pull out the drawstring cord, and set the drawstring aside. Use a seam ripper to remove casing stitches for the drawstring. Unfold the cover’s edges fully; you may have to press these flat. (Ironically, you’ve just removed the cover from your only ironing board! Don’t worry; just drape the board top with a towel so you can use it temporarily.) Stretch out the old cover over the new cloth and pin it in place. Make sure it’s completely flat by running your hands over the stacked fabrics and working any excess cloth or creases to the margins. Reset pins as necessary. Take up your scissors and cut carefully around the outside edge of the existing cover.

If the ironing board is missing its original cover or the old covers are filthy, you can use the ironing board itself as a template. Turn it upside down on the uncoated side of the heat-resistant fabric and trace around it with a pencil. Remove the board, and then calculate how much additional fabric you’ll need for the casing. To do this, measure the thickness of the ironing board, add 2 more inches for the cord casing, plus another 1/4 to 1/2 inch to turn under along the edge of the fabric. Measure and calculate carefully, because it’s easy to underestimate what you need. I added another inch just to be safe. Add the measurements for board thickness, casing width, turned-under edge, and any extra you’ve factored in, and then use a tape measure to mark this line all around the outside of the board outline. Cut along this line.

Now, you should have a piece of fabric that’s shaped like your ironing board, only larger. Your next step is to create the drawstring casting. Turn under the outside edge of the cut cloth by 1/4 inch, pin, and press. Then, turn under the fabric an additional 2 inches, and pin and press again.

You’ll need to sew the casing in place. Using either a sewing machine or a needle and thread, stitch along the inside edge to secure the casing. When you reach the cover’s widest end, leave about 1/2 inch unstitched and open so you can thread the drawstring through it. Take up the original cord you set aside earlier. You can reuse it as cording if it’s stable. If it’s frayed or rotten, replace it by using the original cord to measure out a new drawstring. I like to add 6 to 12 inches to the cord for a little extra to work with when I’m threading the drawstring. I used cotton cord for the drawstring, but you can use almost any narrow, strong cord – even poly or nylon cord, because high heat won’t reach it. The cord will be located under the ironing board when the cover is in place.

The last step is to thread the cord through the opening you left in the casing at the cover’s widest end. A simple way to do this is to pierce the end of the cord with a large safety pin and then stick the body of the pin into the opening. The stiffness of the metal safety pin will make it easy to thread the cord through the casing. Be careful not to pull the cord’s opposite end into the casing as you work the cord through. Guide the safety pin through the entire casing all the way around the new ironing board cover, and pull it through the opening so the two cord ends are both outside the casing. Tie the ends together loosely in a bowknot. Your new heat-resistant ironing board cover is ready to be installed.

If you want to disguise it with a more decorative fabric cover, as I did, repeat all the steps above with a separate piece of 100 percent cotton fabric.

But first, if you want to make a liner for more padding, take up the cotton batting and lay it out on a flat surface, again smoothing out any wrinkles by hand. You may need to press it with a steam iron. Over the top of the batting, lay out the finished new cover, opening it up so the drawstring casing lies flat. This will serve as your template. Pin the cover in place over the batting. You won’t need a casing, so don’t worry about adding in extra. (The cotton batting will be held in place on the ironing board by the heat-resistant cover.) Cut out the cotton batting along the edges of the new cover, being extremely careful not to cut into the cover. Or, mark the batting along the edges of the new cover and then remove the latter so you can cut along the marked line. Because the batting is much thicker than the cover fabric, you’ll probably need to clip the curves so they’ll lie flat. Using scissors, clip small triangles out of the batting along the curved portions. Space the triangles about 1 inch apart, to begin with, and cut into the batting no deeper than the depth of your ironing board. Place the batting on the top of your ironing board. If the batting still seems too bulky along the curves, add a few more clips where the curvature is most extreme.

Finishing Up

Gather all the finished pieces and install them on your ironing board in the following order: the batting (without drawstring), then the heat-resistant cover (with drawstring), and finally the optional decorative fabric cover (also with drawstring). Place the drawstring covers on the board one at a time, smoothing them out to eliminate wrinkles and pulling the drawstring cord tight before tying it off on the underside of the board. Make sure each layer is smooth and tight before proceeding to the next one. Tie off the drawstrings in a bowknot and trim the cord ends if you prefer – but remember to keep them long enough that they can be easily retied if you have to remove the cover for laundering. Now, grab that iron and some wrinkled fabric, and press on!

Rebecca Martin is a technical editor for Grit and Mother Earth News. She’s been fitting and sewing her own clothing for a number of years and is experimenting with upcycling vintage tablecloths into garments.