maryfrang

Get a big ironing board. I have one that fits on my home ironing board. It is a sheet of plywood with a layer of batting and stripped fabric stapled on it. That way I can align the top or pieces too still need to do one side they turn it, but a lot easier that a small ironing board. Have fun and good luck.

maviskw

You have a big ironing board. I use my bed. I lay the ironing board, folded up, onto the foot end of the bed and the bed is what holds the bulk of the quilt. If you have spray-starched with diluted Stay Flo as you made each block, it won't wrinkle as much. If your back doesn't like this, you could put a small stool with a pillow on the floor and kneel on that. Sometimes my back complains if I bend over for a long time.

Onebyone

I have six ironing boards. I set up as many as I need wide ends together for pressing backing and quilt tops. Ironing boards are cheap and easy to store. They hang in my utility closet out of sight.

SherylM

I was so glad to read this thread because this is exactly what I'm dealing with right now! Making a 96" x 96" quilt for my son and his fiance, and faced with ironing that 108" wide fabric, I've been procrastinating all week. Last night I finally decided that the quilting fairy isn't going to come do it for me, so I kinda sorta figured it out.

I set up my ironing boards (I'm a piker, Onebyone; I only have two! ) a couple feet apart, folded my fabric in half selvage to selvage so I wasn't working with the entire width of it flopping around. I'm ironing it double-thickness, staying away from the fold so I don't put a crease in it. When I'm done with one side, I'll flip it over and do the other one.

As I iron on one board, I drape the pressed fabric over the other board (a couple feet in front of it) so it's not laying on the floor getting wrinkled again. And the dog isn't walking on it.

When I've done that, I'm going to re-fold it end to end and iron it again the same way, so the part with the fold gets ironed and the whole thing gets a double dose of starch. I know it sounds like I'm doing twice as much work and that it will take longer, but I think it will be less stressful for me than wrestling with a full width of fabric. Right now, most of this is theoretical, as I only got part of it done last night before my back gave out and I had to call it quits for the night.

I'll let you know how it works out.

luvstoquilt301

Here is a trick that us frame quilters use. Not sure where you could do this But this is for the backing only. I drape it over my frame and spray the heck out of it with a spray bottle of water. Let it dry. Voila----all the wrinkles are gone.

bearisgray

I've found that if I press as I go - each seam in each block -each block seam - each row - that the final pressing is just a light touching up.

I also press on the back so that I can check for odd seams.

heidikins

I press my backing the same as SherylM. I prewash all my fabric and I press it the same way: fold it half matching salvages press on one side, turn it over and press the other side being careful to press in the direction of the length of grain and not pressing the center fold. Then I open it up and press the center. I iron in the kitchen and use my kitchen table butted up against my ironing board to keep the fabric from hitting the floor and getting rewrinkled (new word).

madamekelly

For pressing large tops, I put an old cardboard cutting mat on my table for protecting the surface from heat, then two layers of beach towels, and iron it in sections. Since I starch heavily before I cut, this method works for me.

AZ Jane

Exactly what I was going to suggest. I had the hubby make me a "Big Board" ironing board. Using plywood over my regular ironing board. Let's see if I have pictures, I know he used a half sheet for mine and the other half for his sister, laid down a couple layers of batting and covered with regular fabric, if it gets ugly, I'll just add another layer. Oh and I stapled it to the bottom.
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jillmc

I have a large board like AZ Jane, but sometimes it still isn't large enough....I have pads for my dining room table, so I put in the table leaves, add the pads, and press away!