gingerd

Alrighty....so ladies you helped me with an iron. Now silly me didn't even think of a traveling surface.

Any recommendations?

TIA!

DOTTYMO

Doesn't June Taylor make a mat with a pressing mat on the back.
if you are saving money then find a solid piece of wood cover with batting and then cotton fabric. Tack down or put elastic in a sleeve all round so they fit tight.

PaperPrincess

Ditto what Dotty said! What ever you do, don't try and iron on your cutting mat!

sewingitalltogether

My husband cut a 15" square board. I covered it with batting and fabric. Works great.

Kwiltr

I don't know what kind of travelling you're considering, but when I travel in our RV, I take a pressing board I made with 3/4" plywood, about 20"x24", covered with 2 layers of cotton batting and off white canvas/duck cloth. The layers are added then stapled to the back. It works really well either on my kitchen counter or a little folding table. And it stows easily.

gingerd

When you ladies say "batting" could that mean the warm and natural that I use for inside my quilts? If so maybe 3 layers of that?

Covering the "batting"....can that be anything?

Thanks

quiltingcandy

I have the June Tailor cutting mat on one side and ironing surface on the other. It fits perfectly in the top of my suitcase and takes care of 2 needs in one. Not the best cutting mat, but it works fine and hasn't warped in over 10 years of traveling

My friend and I made the large ironing board to put on top of the regular ironing board, we used a double layer of 100% cotton batting (don't remember the brand) and we used a double layer of cotton fabric we had on hand. It has held up just fine for over 3 years. There is an ironing board cloth you can get - but we decided to just use what we had at home.

elnan

There is a Sharon Schamber video for making a small or large pressing surface similar to what is described by previous posters. I have the June Tailor cutting/pressing mat. Quilting Candy is right about the cutting mat on it not being very good, but the pressing mat part of it has been handy for using while sitting at the machine. I've also seen directions for turning a wooden folding TV tray table into a pressing surface, very handy when sewing in a group where there is not much elbow room.

Kwiltr

I used Warm and Natural cotton batting. Two layers is enough I think. You don't want it so soft that it distorts your block when you press it. And you don't want polyester as it won't stand up to the heat of the iron. I just measured my makeshift ironing board and it's about 17" by 24" a leftover piece from making an extra large ironing surface for home. I'd stick with a cotton fabric that's colorfast or ironing board silver fabric you can get at Joanns to cover the batting.

danydany

Hi. I have a suggestion for you if you make your own pressing surface from wood, batting, and a cover. Before you add the batting and fabric, first put a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil covering the wood. Put it shinier side outward. This way, you will protect your wood from moisture if you use steam or sprayed water. Also, the shiny side of the foil will reflect a little more heat back to what you are pressing, making your setup a little more efficient.

I did that when I made my "big board" topper for my regular ironing board, and it works great.

Happy travels.
...dany