How to make an ironing board cover (free pattern)

Let’s talk how to make an ironing board cover.

Let’s be honest….

If you sew a lot, you know how gross your ironing board cover can get. Scorch marks, bitlets of old fusible interfacing and any number of other weird marks just get on your cover over time.

A fresh ironing board cover is what you need. This is a project I’ve been needing to do for my own board that’s been long overdue. My board often gets used for nefarious crafting purposes, and let’s just say it was pretty gross.

This ironing board cover diy is an easy sew project that’s perfect for even beginner seamstresses.

I’m including a free ironing board cover pattern in this project, so you have a place to start, but I’m also giving you directions for creating your own pattern in case you have a smaller or larger ironing board. Don’t be intimidated here: this is so simple!

Bonus: by the end of this project, you’ll be left with a fun DIY ironing board cover that’s way more interesting than anything you can buy. Need some personality in your sewing room? Why not start with your ironing board?!

So rip off your old cover and let’s fix this pronto.

How to make an ironing board cover: supplies

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• 2 yards cotton quilting fabric
• 1 package heat resistant batting (I use Bosal since it’s the right size)
• 4 1/2 yards twill tape
• 2 packages of bias tape or 1 fat quarter to make your own bias tape
• 4 1/2 yards cotton twill tape or cotton cording
• 1 cord lock
• Elastic threader
• Fabric marker
• Quilt ruler
• Fabric pins
• Free ironing board cover pattern or DIY ironing board cover pattern (directions below)

What kind of fabric should you use for an ironing board cover DIY?

Cotton quilting fabric is your best choice to make an ironing board cover. It’s nice and smooth with a high thread count, and cotton can withstand the direct high heat of an iron.

I’m using a print from Tim Holtz’s Eclectic Elements I found on Etsy. Here’s some fun sewing themed fabrics that would make fun diy ironing board covers. Click on any image to find out more about that fabric.

Why use heat resistant batting in a DIY ironing board cover?

You’ll notice too that the supply list calls for heat resistant batting. It looks like regular quilt batting except it has a silver reflective surface. This is a nice addition, and it will help make the surface of your board smooth.

The Bosal heat resistant batting is the right size for this project, and 1 package will make 2 ironing board covers. If you use another brand, you’ll need 2 yards.

If you’d rather, you can use cotton quilt batting instead. I’ve used both and the heat resistant batting is just a hair nicer, but it’s not a dealbreaker to swap out cotton quilt batting.

If your board has a layer of foam, go ahead and leave that. More cushion is good!

Get your free ironing board cover pattern

Print out the free ironing board cover pattern. It’ll print out on seven 8.5″x11″ pages. Make sure to print at 100% (no scaling).

Assembling the pattern and getting it ready

I debated about this pattern. I hate often that patterns waste paper. If I had added all of the overhang allowance, it would have required another 6 pages. So sorry to make you do an extra step with a ruler, but I really wanted you to not have to waste paper too.

Print out the pattern and tape the pieces together along the dotted lines, matching up the stars. Cut around the outside of the fabric.

Cutting your fabric to make an ironing board cover

Make sure that your main fabric is prewashed. There’s no need to prewash the Bosal heat resistant batting as it’s polyester, but if you’re using cotton quilt batting, do prewash it too so that it doesn’t shrink when you wash your cover.

Fold your fabric from selvage towards the other selvage enough to accommodate the pattern. Use a ruler and fabric marker to mark 2″ around the edge (not the fold). Cut 1 ironing board cover on the fold from your cotton quilting fabric with the added outer edges.

Fold your heat resistant batting to accommodate the pattern piece. Cut 1 piece of batting on the fold. This piece should be the exact size of the pattern piece.

Also cut two pieces of cotton quilting fabric 4.5″ x 71″.

So to recap what you need to cut for your DIY ironing board cover:

Outer fabric	Cut 1 on the fold with 2″ added around edges not on the fold
Batting	Cut 1 on the fold (exact size of pattern piece)
Bottom pieces	Cut 2 pieces 4.5″x71″

What if my ironing board is a different size? (how to make an ironing board pattern)

Really quick, if you’re making a mini size ironing board cover, or your ironing board is a different size, simply lay your board upside down on your fabric. Trace around with a fabric marker, then measure out 2″ all the way around the outside.

Cut out the fabric, then a piece of your batting the exact size of the top of the board.

From there, measure around the outer edge of your board all the way around. Add 1″ to this measurement, then divide by two. Cut 2 pieces 4.5″ x however long you just calculated.

How to make an ironing board cover: putting things together

Attach the batting to the outer cover

Center the batting on the wrong side of your outer cover with the reflective side facing down. Pin down the batting with a few pins.

Lengthen your machine’s straight stitch setting to 3.0mm. Stitch down the batting to the outer cover close to the edge of the batting all the way around.

Add the bottom pieces

Place your side pieces right sides together. Stitch the short ends together with a 1/2″ seam allowance. Press open these seams.

Next, pin the bottom piece to the outer edge of the ironing board cover, right sides together.

Stitch the ironing board cover to the bottom piece with a 1/4″ seam allowance all the way around.

Prep your bias tape

I’m using handmade bias tape for this project, but feel free to use packaged stuff.

Learn how to make bias tape.

This project will need about a fat quarter’s worth of bias tape, and I cut 2″ wide strips.

Fold the raw edges of the bias tape together, then press down the fold. If you’re using prepackaged bias tape, press the tape flat first, then bring the raw edges together and press.

Sew the bias tape to the cover

Line up the raw edge of the bias tape to the raw edge of the bottom piece on your diy ironing board cover. Sew the bias tape to the edge with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Start a couple inches from the end, stitch almost all the way around, and then sew the short ends together so they’re the right length. Cut off any extra bias tape and finish stitching the bias tape in place.

Press the tape towards the inside of the cover.

Stitch the bias tape close to the folded edge all the way around the inside of the cover, leaving 1″ openings about 4 places around the edge. These openings will make it easier to thread through the twill tape in the next step, and we’ll close them up later.

Thread the twill tape through the casing

Thread the elastic threader through the casing you’ve made with the bias tape. Go from opening to opening through the casing, popping out the threader’s end through one hole. Thread the eye of the elastic threader with twill tape, then pull it through the casing.

Continue threading the twill tape through the casing, first with the threader, then pulling the tape through.

This method is much faster than using a safety pin to thread the tape through the casing. It’ll save you a lot of frustration and you won’t have any pain in your fingers too!

Finishing stitching and fitting your ironing board cover

Once you’ve threaded the twill tape all the way around the inside of the casing, leave the ends hanging free. Go around to the other openings and stitch down the edge of the bias tape. Be sure not to stitch through the tape. I like to push the tape up inside the casing before stitching.

To finish, place your new DIY ironing board cover on top on your ironing board. From the bottom side, pull on the ends of the twill tape to snug up the bottom pieces.

When the cover is sitting nice and smooth up top and snug on bottom, tie a square knot in the twill tape ends. Finish up by passing the twill tape ends through a cord lock. You can tuck the cord lock and tape ends into the bottom fabric.

And that is how to make an ironing board cover. Make up a few so you can have an extra to pop into the laundry! You might just find that ironing is a little less odious with a happy diy ironing board cover like this!

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