Originally Posted by ann clare
A design wall.
ditto on design wall; you can buy a portable one that can be closed and stored, if you don't have wall space.
I turned an old wooden TV table (had a flat surface) into an ironing board and keep it open with the iron on it next to my machine. It folds up if I need to.
Layered a silver mettalic looking ironing fabric (can't remember what it's called), covered it with pillowticking that reached around to the back, tightened and stapled and voila.
p.s. an industrial stapler as it's going through wood.