Actually there's a nice canvas-like cover over light padding which came with the ironing board. Then I have a couple of pieces of yardage that I didn't want to use in a quilt. I swap them back and forth - you know, when one's in the wash.... Anyway, the fabric is folded to give the maximum coverage then I use a combination of quilting safety pins and binder clips to secure it under the ironing board. Easy to remove when necessary and it stays in place just fine.