Ha! Are you thinking this will be a post chock-full of my goals and dreams for 2010? Nosireee. I fell for that old blogging new year’s trick the first January I was posting. Most of those crafty goals for that new year are still undone. I’m perfectly happy to live vicariously through all of YOUR fun posts full of lists and new year’s resolutions. I did, however, do a one-word pick. As I’ve told some of you, my one word for 2010 is … chocolate. (I defy you to find a better word – it’s a healthy new habit!)
So, my clean start refers to a new ironing board cover. I luuuuuv fabric with words on it and this Authentic fabric is right up my alley.
When I saw that this fabric was available in home decorator weight, I knew it was a match made in heaven. The only way it could be better is if the black fabric with white letters would have been available in this weight. This white option will probably show the water stains a little more, but, oh well.
This was one of my quickest-ever projects – 30 minutes, start to finish. 4 easy-peasy steps: 1) smooth out the old cover on the top of the wrong side of the fabric, 2) cut the fabric an inch or so wider than the old cover, 3) fold the edges of the fabric around the edges of the old cover, and 4) sew a simple straight stitch along the edge of the fabric, being careful not to catch the drawstring in the stitching. (My ironing board took 1 1/2 yards of fabric and it’s enough to make two covers.) So much easier than sewing a casing and then threading the string through the casing! Do you like it as much as I do?
And loookieeee! We got more snow!
It snowed most of the day today. Isn’t it pretty? Good thing we don’t live in the gingerbread houses — we’d have to climb out of the second story windows!
Have a great weekend!
XOXO,
Anna
Now that’s an easy way to make up an ironing board cover….and mine needs replacing…
have a happy friday
niki
I love clean starts to the year, too! Your new ironing board cover is a wonderful “starter” project and you’re right, the fabric is really great. Thank you for sharing your techinque, too.
I’ve posted my own resolutions here and there since blogging. My success rate for the 2009 list was 80% which I count as pretty good. There are no resolutions on my list for 2010 as I just plain intend to have a good year — period. However, your one word concept (and the choice of chocolate) is awesome. I’m going to think “chocolate” for the rest of the year, now — and count it as good fun.
Great fresh start for your ironing board!! Love that idea. And you are right, I wouldn’t want to live in that gingerbread house now, no way!
I love that fabric. I made some sock knitting bags with it a couple of months ago. Love the ironing board idea for it!
Perfect! I need a new cover and I think I can actually do this! The snow is so pretty!
you have REALLY good taste (in blog friends).
MY ironing board words go the other direction, now you have me wondering if i did mine upsidedown and sideways!
if we lived in the gingerbread houses, we’d get to eat gingerbread morning, noon and night, and all would be good.
happy 2010 anna. may your life be filled with chocolate.
Is there anything in this whole world better than chocolate? I think not!
Love your ironing board cover and super easy instructions. I’m going to be on the lookout for fabric to recover mine now that I see just how easy it is. After about 15 years of use, I think it’s about time!
MGM
wow look at that snow…..
…….must work on a new iroing board cover…….mine is a bigger board so will have to find some fabric to make one……..
I didn’t go for any resolutions or goals either. I chose to sing the praises of procrastination instead. LOL! Love that new ironing board cover. It’s fun to iron on a new cover. Well, I think it is anyway. Is that weird?
Take care,
Cassie
Anna, I’ve decided you’re a genius! I love it when someone figures out an easier way to do things. I guess that’s why I love blogging so much! Your ironing board cover looks so spiffy. Hope it stays that way!
Anna, I need you to straighten me out. What do you do with your old ironing board cover? Do you keep it under the new one or take it off? How does the new one not slide off if you don’t have drawstring in it? I’ve seen people around blogland post about making them, but I haven’t ever understood.
Thanks~
It’s hard to think of it snowing where you are when we had steam coming from our roof this morning (rain hitting a very hot tin roof).
Love your new ironing board cover, I must make one for my ironing board too! I just adore the Authentic fabric! toni xxx
I like your word and I even used it today myself. You’re right, nothing better!
I do like your cover too.
And thank you for the snow pictures:-) Almost as good as chocolate.
Love the fabric you used for your ironing board cover. It reminds me that I need to sew one for my mini ironing board, but sadly the cover is lost by now. Chocolate (hmmm a fave word too) although the extra weight around my hips doesnt make me love it too much! I have no resolutions this year other than to be happy! Your snow looks wonderful on a day like today where it is rather hot.
I love words, too, and yes I love your ironing board cover. Mine sure could use a new one, I never thought of making my own! Chocolate is a good word-of-the-year. Mine is Joy.
Oh, I love the fluffy white snow on your gingerbread houses :-)
Chocolate sounds like a nice word of the year to live by! Let us know if you find some great new recipes :-)
Kathy
I love your word for the year and your new ironing board cover!!!
Wait…still laughing about the gingerbread comment! :>) Ok, and I just got some of that fabric too! And the dots and the newsprint. I love it. SUPER DUPER idea on the ironing board!
Chocolate! I think I’ll make that my word too.
I love the ironing board cover. I really need to make a new one too.
Hmmm, I suspect a chocolate ironing board cover wouldn’t work as well as yours does. A similar project has been on my to do list for months and months! Wonder if I’ll finish it this year?
Your certainly did get snow. The difference is that over there you can cope with it and over here we start to squeak at an inch of snow!
PS I should have added, the only place in the UK with only an inch of snow is us right now. everywhere else they have quantities that would look respectable over there – unheard of and impossible when there are no snow ploughs and no snow chains and few four wheel drives!
Clever idea – reuse, reduce, recycle as they say!
Love the little gingerbread houses in the snow!
That would almost make me want to do the ironing! Almost… but not quite!
oh those squirrels aren’t gonna chip their teeth on the frozen offerings you have for them are they?? might have to report you to the rspca! LOL
Love the ironing board cover, mine is covered in glue, cat hair, vlisofix and water stains.. :O) all signs of productivity! :O)
take care
Lissa
Love your new CLEAN start… I have to take a cleaning day at the sewingroom.. so I can start my sewing.. how about that..lol…
Well .. happy you are Happy about the snow…;o) Over and out from a VERY cold Sweden again..-32 C (-26 F) today…Brrrrr!!!
Perfect new ironing board cover. So clever!
Can I come over to live in one of those gingerbread houses? They look so cute!
You are a genius…what a wonderful way to do an ironing board cover. I LOVE it! And your word for the year could not be better!
I love it…I so need to put a new cover on my ironing board. It’s the same one my mother used. I just bought some fabric with writing on it. I’m going to use it in an apron.
Love the snow pic…The houses look snowed in.
i too do not like resolutions…we all know what we have to do in the new year…& you are sooo on my page…i *heart* dark chocolate…so i am “in” for your ride- wherever it takes us!
i am off to tackle my clothes closet…my take on “a clean start!”
(btw: the gingerbread “snow” houses look great with the fresh snow!!)
Love the ironing board cover! I started a table runner out of the Authentic fabric this week and had to order the backing fabric. Wish I’d seen your post before making out the order! Your blog always has the cutest ideas! Keep ’em coming!
Brilliant! You make it look so easy. Must try this.
And when you’re bored with ironing you can read the board…. good idea!
If you could see my ironing board right now, I would be ashamed. But yours is darling! A cute print on it, too.
I really do like your ironing board cover! It’s so……authentic! There surely is snow on the thimble today!
Jody
My old cover has a seam around the edge. Would this still work. I love the idea because I don’t like most of the fabic styles they use for ironing board covers.
There you go again! Bypassing the procrastination option and just doing it! Cute cover, clever shortcut! But, it’s so bl–dy cold here, you’ll be pleased to hear I’ve started knitting a hat–two strands of worsted weight yarn, sz 10 1/2 needles and 48 stitches…Well it only took a few rows to figure out that the result might fit someone small enough to live in your snow covered gingerbread houses, so I added almost the same number of stitches again. Anybody know a giant looking for something to cover his curls? Though there’s an outside chance it may fit the Bean….will do a show and tell when finished. At any rate, I’m enjoying the process, even though I still haven’t taken down the tree! P.R.O.C.R.A.S.T.I.N.A.T.I.O.N!
Love it Miss Anna. The ironing board cover too. lol You know….the SNOW. WEEEEE you and me, we love our snow.
I was just talking about that Authentic fabric with a friend last night. I ordered some of the one with the birds. Maybe that’s what I’ll do with it. Great idea and your way is easy.
How many of us could use a new ironing board cover? Yours is wonderful and perfect choice of fabric, I agree!!
I replaced my iron board cover a while back and somehow managed to find a cover that actally goes with my 1970’s avacado green iron board. No sure how that happend but I don’t think it’ll ever happen again.
Is that a picture of our little snow-covered house you have as that last photo there? Mmm, quite good if we were quite that snow-covered; then I couldn’t go to work.
Looove your new ironing board cover! I actually like to iron (not so much in the summertime), because of the smell of clean hot cotton. I really ought to re-cover my ironing board this weekend and freshen it even more. Sometimes I sprinkle my sheets with lavender-scented water and iron them. Mmmmmm…. It’s actually quite rare that I’ll do the sheets, but sometimes I’ll change the pillowcases mid-week and just scent and press those.
I really was expecting a long, detailed post about all of the things you’re going to accomplish in 2010 :o) Chocolate is such a great word. I love that authentic fabric and have never seen anything like it. Those poor gingerbread people must be freezing. Well, at least they can eat their house if they get hungry. I wonder when the gingerbread snow plow is coming to help them out?
I love the photo of the gingerbread houses in the snow. Absolutely beautiful.
My little dusting-of-snow pictures pale in comparison to your house-covering drifts. :) I love your new ironing board cover! I am about to recover mine. Did everyone’s ironing board covers all deteriorate at the same time?
Happy ironing, Anna.
I love your ironing board cover, Anna. They say there is an easy way to do everything and yours looks great, that is the how I will make my next cover! The covers sold in the stores are so not pretty.. Love those houses in the snow, any nibbles from the squirrel friends yet? I’m resolving to get some interior painting done, instead of just collecting paint samples, and hopefully I’ll have the first room finished tomorrow. I’ll just have to put up with sewing withdrawals for a while…….. Happy New Year Anna!
Great looking ironing board cover…that will get some good use!
Your gingerbread houses look very at home in the snow drifts. Something we are trying to adjust too in this country! My dh has just driven in the snow for the first time in 3 days (he’s been working from home while I’ve been out in it) and just phoned me to say he was so surprised at the road conditions!! lol I have been telling him that for 3 days but I don’t think he believed me!!!
Brilliant! I love fabrics with text too. I think I may have to think about doing mine this year. Kaffe Fassett has decorating weights too now but I think it might be a bit busy for an ironing board.
That’s a lovely ironing board Anna! And we’ve got about the same amount of snow as you, if not a bit more – which is a lot for us!
Lucy xxx
You are so creative! I think I’m going to have to try making a cover for my ironing board. I had definitely seen better days.
Jennifer :)
I love the fabric you picked for your new ironing board cover!!
I loveeee this fabric too and lucky for me it came to light as it’s the fabric we need to use in a challange at The Bramble Patch (Weedon, Northants UK). I’m really looking forward to how I can use it.
I would have put the fabric sideways so I could read it whilst I was ironing! :oD
I use a staple gun when I recover my ironing board. Of course, that only works because my ironing board is old and made of wood – got it as a wedding present 30 years ago and it’s still going strong. :o)
love it! now why didn’t I think of using ‘home dec’ fabric for that purpose! hello, it does say ‘home’ in it! deerrrrr! love your project and I am definitely going to give a go!
Corrie:)
Ah yes, now that would make a rather nice occasional table. I like the fabric, the height is just right for storage and it seems to have a folding mechanism. What’s that???? It’s an IRONING BOARD???? What kind of horrors are these? I have never heard of nor can I countenance such a thing. I have heard of blogs that champion ironing before. I had not yet seen it with my own eyes. Oh dearie dearie me and bless my hat. Pass me the smelling bottle. (Can you tell I watched Cranford recently)
pssst – I think something might be going to fly across the pond. I can scarce believe it but it is true and has been confirmed by the power of CHEESE.
I was so sure I had commented on this post. Must have done it in my head haha.
Anyway… Chocolate is perfect. I should have picked that – at least it would be one resolution I’d keep.
I love the ironing board cover. I must find some of that fabric with words, and something I can do with it. Very nice!
Cute cute! Love the new “dress” for your ironing board. Even though I made a new one for myself last year, I want to make another. Great way to display your favorite fabric!
Thanks for the tut! I’ll keep it in mind when I need a new cover for my ironing board!
Btw, love those snowcovered gingerbread houses!
Yep, with weather like that it would be much more fun to be ironing on the fancy new iron board than be out in that weather. Holy Rowenta, that is some dusting.
Dang woman how did I miss 2 posts from you – now that is an easy peasy way to cover the old ironing board. I agree on the white – I have a great red and white ticking on mine and it sure didn’t take long for that old iron of mine to have a tinkle accident and stain that beauty of a cover – but now I know how easy it is to cover – thanks sweet pea :).
Hugs – Mrs. Farmhouse
Love love love the ironing board cover. Isn’t it so much nicer to press on a pretty surface?
My husband and I just recovered our ironing board and then he proceeded to burn a huge brown spot the next day. Yours is adorable!!
Oh my gosh, i love that fabric! i have some too and a few of the other prints that went with it. isn’t it just so nice and thick. i am going to cover some pillow with it. love the ironing board cover! i need to make one of those too. evertime i recover mine, i burn it again:) so so envious of your snow too! just rain that won’t stop here, blech
I love your new ironing board Anna! That authentic fabric is just awesome. I’m glad you don’t live in those gingerbread houses too! Around here, you’d get eaten by the raccoons!
the cover is great! i never thought to recover my ironing board before… but now i may do it!
Thanks for the great idea and directions to make a new cover for the ironing board! So easy! It is a nice change from the ugly, scorched, beige one that the board came with.
I posted a photo on my blog and linked to this post so others can make it if they missed yours. Not that anyone reads my blog yet.