I finally ditched my old ironing board (gave it to one of my kids actually) and replaced it with something infinitely more practical and sturdy. I do a LOT of ironing with my etsy shop, plus packing, shipping, etc so I really needed a stable surface and good storage. I've been wanting to share the process for awhile and I can't find some of the pictures I took along the way but it's not complicated so I'll explain it using the pictures I could still find.
The dresser is the Tarva from IKEA and it was 149.00. My 13 year old son assembled the dresser while I worked on the ironing board part. Meanwhile this guy made a lego world out of the dresser shell.
I lost the pictures of the original top process but all I did was cut a plywood board 48" x 17" (I was lucky enough to find a scrap board in the garage so I didn't have to go buy one). This length left me enough space at the top right hand side for my iron and hangs over the front edge about 1.5 inches so I've got a good, wide work surface.
I bought some quilted ironing board fabric at Joann and stapled it on (see above picture). It worked out great until I accidentally ironed some interfacing on it and it got icky. It was an easy fix though and I just cut some fabric out big enough to wrap around and cover the old stuff and stapled it in place right over the ironing fabric. It's been great (and cuter!).
Here's a look at the corner. I trimmed enough fabric away to decrease the bulk and stapled it like crazy.
Then I told my son he could play with his dad's power tools. He attached the board to the top using some screws that were long enough to reach the new board on top without going through it. I think he used 3 screws and it's been nice and steady since then.
So this is the great ironing/packing station I've been using. It has room for lots of stuff and keeps everything looking so much tidier. Plus I think it's really pretty. I like the wood but if I get tired of it some day I can just paint it.
And here's a look at it with my shelf and bulletin board. Plus cute prints from Pam Kitty Morning! And since we still need a place to iron shirts I just hung the smaller pointy board (tutorial for covering one here) on the wall so it's easy to access and store.
I hope that all makes sense! Let me know if you have any questions. Keep on sewing!
