DIY Ironing Board

Recently I found an iron at Goodwill for $6. It had never been used, worked great, and was an awesome find. I had been putting off buying an iron because I never saw the need to have one. Recently though I keep finding myself in the predicament of needing one and not having one. I am glad I looked at Goodwill before buying one at full price somewhere else. I love a good deal and nothing makes me happier than saving a few dollars. 

So now that I have an iron, I need an ironing board to go with it. I did debate on just buying one but I had a few problems with doing that. First, they can be a little pricey sometimes. Second, the cheap ones usually aren't very attractive; and lastly, the majority of them would not easily fit in my laundry room. After doing a search on Pinterest, I found that many people had made their own. So I took what those people had done and viola! my masterpiece was born. It only took me about an hour to do and it will fit perfectly between the wall and the washer in the laundry room while waiting to be used.

Supplies:

• 1 yard of fabric (I used cotton quilters fabric) - $3.59
• 1/4 inch x 2 foot x 2 foot piece of plywood - $5.85
• 1 yard cotton batting $1.20
• Staple gun - Free
• Staples - $3.00
• Drawer lining (I used a roll found at the Dollar Tree) - $1.00

Total: $14.64

Directions:

1. First, take your fabric and iron it if there are any wrinkles. You will also want to test your fabric for color fastness. To do this take a light colored scrap piece of fabric and iron it on top of your chosen fabric. If it does not bleed then you are good to go. This is especially important if you are using fabric with a bold, colorful pattern on it.
2. Next, lay your plywood on top of the batting and cut the batting to fit. Leave 1-2 inches around the edges so you have enough to fold over.
3. Fold the batting over the plywood and staple. Make sure you pull the batting taught so there aren't any lumps in your finished project. It is easiest to alternate sides when stapling rather than working your way around. You will get a nicer finish this way.
4. Then take your fabric and do the same thing you did with the batting. 
5. You can either leave your board like this or you can add the lining to the back so it will have more grip and won't slide as much. I used a roll I found at the Dollar Tree (maybe a yard long) so I did not have enough to cover the entire back. I just went around the edges to give it a more finished look. 

This is what the back looks like finished.

My ironing board is the perfect size to place on top of the cabinet where I fold clothes in the laundry room or even on my craft table when I am working on my various sewing projects. I got the batting from the remnants section on clearance and the fabric was 40% off, making this project fairly inexpensive. Let me know what you guys think and feel free to show me how yours all turn out!

Linking Up To:
Work It Wednesday
Whatever Goes Wednesday