My earliest venture in Arts and Crafts shows were baskets lined with gathered floral chintz. This meant the pressing of miles of ruffles & long ties for the bows. Feeling constrained with more fabric on the floor than the ironing board, I moved to my work table with a beach towel. Worried about warping my rotary cutting mat, I soon gave this idea up.
I remembered seeing the padded tables at the drapery workrooms. A narrow version of that would do the trick. I could have made it myself, but I knew Lou who made cornices in Miami. He was the Wild West dude with one fast staple gun!
Driving home with "my board", I was as happy as a surfer ready to ride the waves, singing California Dreamin! (Not to be confused with ironing clothes! Totally different song). Years later, and miles of pressing, I simply add another layer of batting and fabric and "my board" is new. If you are making your own bias, or have ribbons to press, this is great.
I have since added a 25" square board for the designer pillows, and patchwork. I can tape work down or pin on it. Iron on fusible web presses much better on the board than the softer top of the ironing board. It's also great to move a work in progress, and stores easily leaned up against a wall.
An inexpensive way to speed the work up and get a more professional finish. I now consider it a staple in my workroom. What an honor to be invited to contribute to Heather Bailey's "March of the Tools!" Thank you Heather!
