For my quilting my set up is similar to yours...I use a towel or 2 on my cutting table because I don't have room for a separate surface. Similarly for my clothing I use a 'homemade' ironing board with a traditional pad/cover. Both feel about the same to me. My mother used to just add the new cover on top of the old to further pad her normal ironing board. It's still hanging up in the garage. There are probably 20 layers on that thing! I mostly think it's a matter of preference. That said, I think if you want something really flat, a softer surface better.