Recover a Wooden Ironing Board with Quilt Blocks

Many times when working on one craft project I'll think of another I want to do. Recently, while sewing curtains, I noticed the cover to my wooden ironing board was pretty much shot. Definitely time for a replacement. I measured the dimensions and went in search for the perfect fabric.

I needed a quilted fabric, but I did not care for the print on the fabric pieces I had. It produced another idea, though, I could use the quilted fabric for the cushion and cover the cushion with something a little more creative and crafty. I had purchased a bag of 9-inch patriotic quilt blocks at an auction, but there wasn't enough of them to sew a quilt. Each block was signed by a different lady that I am assuming belonged to a quilting guild. This project would be perfect for those blocks. I could cover the ironing board and position the blocks so the signatures could not be seen. You can, of course, use any 9-inch quilt blocks.

Materials needed:

Wooden ironing board
Pen
Quilted fabric
9-inch quilt blocks
Straight pins
Scissors
Sewing machine
Hand sewing needle and thread
Iron
Upholstery tacks
Hammer

Step 1
Place the quilted fabric on the floor with the wrong side up. Set the ironing board face down on the fabric and trace around it. Cut out the shape, 1-inch larger than the traced line.

Step 2
Sew the quilt blocks together, two across and as many down as is needed to extend past both ends of the board. Use a 1/4-inch seam allowance. My board required 12 quilt blocks. Iron the seams open and flat.

Step 3
Place the sewn blocks right side up on the floor. Center the cut quilted fabric shape face down on top of the sewn blocks and pin. Cut the sewn blocks using the pinned quilted fabric as a pattern.

Step 4
Sew around the pinned edge using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Leave a 3-inch opening on one long edge. Turn the ironing board cover right side out and hand sew the opening closed. Iron the cover.

Step 5
Place the cover on the ironing board with the quilt blocks facing up. Extend the extra edges of the cover, evenly, all the way around the board.

Step 6
Fold the extra down at one end of the board. Center an upholstery tack on the side edge of the board an attach with a hammer. Pull the other end, tightly, over the edge and attach another tack. Fold the extra cover down on one long edge of the board and center an upholstery tack. Repeat on the other long edge. Continue to fold down the remaining cover edge and attach tacks every 2-inches.