I finally made a new cover for my ironing board! I've had the fabric since before Christmas and the ironing board I had was just ugly. I bought a cheap, large board from Wal-Mart, but the cover felt like it was covered in plastic (blech) and there was absolutely no padding in it. Not ideal, but like I said--cheap!
There are a million tutorials out there on how to cover an ironing board. I did some research and then mashed them all together, which was easier than following just one. I will tell you, I used two yards of fabric, three yards of 1/2" knit elastic, and lots of pins! I also bought an ironing board pad at Joann's while their 50% off sale was happening this weekend. It makes the board much cushier so I don't feel like I'm hitting metal while I press. I also measured and cut at 4" around the board, so I'd have plenty of room for seam allowances. It was a beast to finally fit when it was done: it's like a fitted sheet from hell, so Nick had to hold one end while I fit the other, and vice versa. Definitely not a one-woman job, at least for me.
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| Cut and ready |
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| Making the casing. I folded 3/4" twice, because I was using 1/2" elastic. |
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| Hopefully that line goes away!! It's from the padding being folded in its package. |
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| The fabric is from Patty Sloniger's Les Amis line. |
I'm also sewing a quilt with Lizzy House's Constellations line. I can't go into too much detail, but here's the beginning of it:
I designed the quilt with graph paper and a pencil before Christmas--I mean, I didn't invent the HST, but I wanted it to be more than random so I went with a layout and followed it. I sewed six rows together today, and will sew the rest probably next weekend. I was looking for something more stimulating than sewing rows of HSTs together. I'd love some opinions on how to quilt this; I wish I could FMQ so I could do stars or something fun!
I'm also going to start on Swoon soon, I think. My mom has a big birthday coming up this spring and I'd like to make a Swoon for her present. My new LQS (Quilted Thimble Cottage in Belmont, NC) has a ton of Bonnie and Camille fabrics, and they also offer longarm services. Swoon finishes at 80" x 80", which is way bigger than even my new machine can handle. Plus, for a special gift, I think it's worth it to splurge on the longarm quilting.
I'm gung-ho but apprehensive at the same time about Swoon. I've heard it takes two hours to finish one block! There are nine blocks altogether, meaning a total of 18 hours, plus cutting time, await me. That may not sound like much, but I don't normally spend more than 12 hours completing a quilt, so that's really a lot. Have you attempted/completed Swoon yet? Any tips? I know it's worth it, and my mom will love it, but it's a large undertaking and I'm always a little worried (and excited!) at the beginning of projects.
What'd you sew this weekend?
