Originally Posted by
quiltingcandy
My homemade big board is only 24 inches across and 48 long. I love it every time I iron large pieces of fabric. It fits behind the door so I can get it out of the way. My DH does not do such projects but when I told a friend of mine about them she wanted one too, so with the help from her DH we bought a piece of plywood ( 1/2 inch ) had it cut in half, then used the ironing board on top, traced it on to the plywood and used 1x1 pieces to outline the ironing board so it keeps it from tilting. Then we glued 2 layers of cotton batting on to the top of the board and a cotton fabric to cover the batting. We stapled the batting and the cotton fabric down, but her DH secured it more by nailing a thin piece of wood over the edge of the fabric. (Not sure that makes sense but it does secure the fabric in place.)
I did almost the same making my 24x48 inch board. I used an old wool blanket someone had shrunken by mistake. By putting manilla file strips on top of the covering fabric (using an upholstery technique) you really secure the fabric tightly and securely. My removable top cover is made of cotton twill with bias tape encasing small diameter nylon rope to provide a nice smooth finish. If you put this type of cover on when it is slightly damp, it will dry nicely to create a smooth surface. Since I use Magic Sizing, I have found using a flat remnant on top of the cover is easy to remove for laundering. You'll love this board and wonder how you ever, ever got anything done without it!