Hey all! This week, I'm going to show you how to make a pretend ironing board for your doll! This craft goes together really quick, and makes a fun addition to your doll's "sewing studio" :)
Grab some supplies, and let's get going! You'll need cardboard, drinking straws, popsicle sticks, a toothpick or two -- and of course, some batting and fun fabric.
Cut a rectangle out of the cardboard -- mine is 10" x 4" -- and then round off the corners, so it's shaped like an ironing board. Hot glue some popsicle sticks to the underside, to give it some stability.
Cut a piece of batting the same size as your board, then glue it down to the non-popsicle-stick side.
Wrap the batting with fabric, and glue it down on the back side, trimming away any extra fabric as you go.
Then, cut a piece of fabric just smaller than the board, and glue it onto the underside. This makes the bottom of the board pretty, too!
Next, make legs for your board. Pick out four drinking straws, preferably ones without the crinkly bend in them, and use an awl or other pointy tool to poke holes in them all at the same height.
Break a toothpick in half, and run it through the straws, to connect them. Cover the ends of the toothpick with a dot of hot glue.
Open up the legs, and cut another length of straw to act as a strut. Then, glue on more pieces of straw to act as feet.
Finally, glue the legs onto the base of your board -- and voila! Your ironing board is done!
"I would cover it in little doggies because I LOVE them!"
NOW: would you like to win this ironing board (and some other goodies too?)
To enter, just leave a comment below, finishing this sentence:
"If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would look like..."
We'll run the giveaway through next Monday, August 25, pick a winner randomly, and get in touch with them via email.
They will receive the ironing board, a pretend iron, a sewing ottoman, a needle book, and a few other goodies too! Woohoo!
**Because of shipping restraints, this giveaway is only open to US residents.
Thanks everybody! Have fun with this!
For Pixie Faire,
Melinda
This is super cute!! I love chevron patterns so mine would be pink and white chevron.
My ironing board would have bright purple Hibiscus flowers with pink and blue butterflies.
Ironing board cover with Hello Kitty
Ironing board cover with Hello Kitty
I would like sewing supplies design on my ironing board. Could you also publish tutorial for iron? It looks really cute and ready to use.
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would look like an oceanside scene! So while I iron my life away, I can imagine I’m enjoying the sound of the waves instead of being the homemaker slave. Ha! :)
My would be lime green with maybe a tangerine print. I love bright, happy colors.
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board… which I am going to make by the way… It would be covered with an old piece of ticking material and held on the bottom side with safety pins and string woven between them This is just like my grandmother had and I learned to iron on.. great memories of fun times with my dear grandmother.
Like the beach so ironing would be fun!
My granddaughter would love this in bright pink.
I would love to have an ironing board cover with pictures of Ireland and Paris, so I could dream about traveling to those fun places!
My cover would have the words “press on” on it.
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would look like either the basic silver, so it would be similar to a real ironing board cover or some great, busy design in green purple and aqua!
I would have a sunny yellow cover. So happy!
If I could have any cover I wanted … it would have a silver (teflon) cover. While I think the colorful legs are great and fashion forward (aewsome!), I would use real wood for the legs.
My cover would be different colored frogs dancing the jig.
I would use real ironing board cover material(silver) and glue or sew on a piece of ribbon that looks like a tape measure-it’s even yellow like a tape measure
“If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would look like… Victorian roses.
I love the purple cover with polka dots! Mine would have a purple cover with roses or other small flowers on it. Cheerful and cute!
Would look like… spring!
I like Cheryl’s idea of the cover having a grid and/or tape measure in a nice bright cheerful color!
It would be covered in a print of “faded” roses and rose buds.
My ironing board would be covered in …Monkeys!!! We love monkeys in our house.
Cute, my granddaughter is going to love this!
I would like to have a different color for each day of the week…That way I would have a rainbow just waiting to be used.
I would like to make mine scrappy
My ironing board cover would look like a surfboard with a surf, sand, sunset and silhouette palm trees painted on it.
really cute! … and my ironing board cover would be Lake Superior on a beautiful sunny day!
My ironing board cover would be fabric with small irons on it
color would be royal blue with lime green irons.
It would be of and ocean breeze fresh and cool.
I would use a black background with small little zippers of different colors on the fabric. It would be great in my sewing room with my AG model. Thank you for sharing this.
It would either look just like this or it might possibly have a few ladybugs on it.
My ironing board cover would be a Chevron print, I’m so in love with this print that is so popular right now.
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would look like an old 60’s era board just like my mom’s. She’s gone now but I have her ironing board that to this day squeaks… and it is one of the oldest most comforting memories I have of my mom.
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board it would be covered in Roosters and Hens two of my favorite things,
A white in white design to go in my modern sewing room.
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would look like hot pink with lime green dots, made in my favorite fabric for doll clothes!!! This is such an adorable craft; thank you for sharing with us all.
My Cover would be silver.
My cover would have tulips all over it. I love it when the flower shops have all the tulips in many colors; it means winter will soon be gone. Thanks for the instructions to this fun project. Looks like a Saturday has been planed for me.
My fabric to cover the ironing board would be a checkered tea towel.
It would look like fun!
Love this!! Such a cute idea!! Thanks for the tutorial!!!
I have my ideal cover (at least for now – whims subject to change) – my sleeve ironing board needed a new cover and my MIL had just given me a bag of scraps from her recently passed MIL. One scrap was a vintage cotton twill of little kids sewing and it was the perfect size. A bit of sewing latter and I had a new cover! It’s held up wonderfully and I smile every time I use it.
i would do silver fabric so it would look like the they sell at the stores
I could use some fabric with flowers like the french general fabrics
this ironing board might make ironing a joy. What a lucky indiviudal to have it.
“If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would look like…”
I would have paisleys on my ironing board cover in black, pink, lime green, purple, yellow, and blue colors. It would be cheerful and inviting to the darling doll doing the ironing!
…it would have English roses on it. I LOVE flower and gardening, but roses are my favorite.
“If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would look like…”
Denim print because my favorite fabric is denim!
if i could have any cover on my ironing board it would look like little French or English cottages, with flowers all around . that would make me smile. thank you so much for the freebies and crafts. A little girl I know will love everything that I can make. It is fun being a granny for all kids.
It would be boring and a solid cover—silver or white because I would want it to look authentic but just in miniature.
Kittens or cats as my daughter loves cat related items for her dolls.
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would look like a collage of pictures of the American Girl illustrations from the books. Like the wrapping paper Hallmark had years ago. :-) Thanks for the giveaway!
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, It would have the words I Love YOU written all over it as that is how I feel when I make American Girl clothes and doll clothes for my little granddaughters and the love I get from using Pixie Faire Patterns. This gives me much joy. Bright Kelly green with white print would be great.
My ironing board cover would be covered with a sewing items design and very cheerful…that is how I feel when making these doll patterns! Such fun :-) Thank you. especially for the freebies!
My cover would be like my grandmother’s scrap material sewn together. She was the one that taught me to iron
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would be bright and cheerful yellows, pinks opurples or oranges with seventies flowers or paisleys to keep it cheery!
Bright yellow sunflowers
Mine would have owls all over it. I love owls.
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would look like the London skyline because that is one of my favorite cities and it would make me smile everytime I saw it.
I WOULD DO A CHEETA PRINT.A REMINDER TO KEEP LIFE " WILD AND FUN!"
Blue and White ticking fabric. This is what my grandma’s was covered in and my grandpa made the board. She covered it. I learned to iron on it. I now have the original board and my husband refinished it and covered it in ticking material. It is thick so it last a long time.
Thanks for the instructions. cw
“If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would look like pink swirly paisleys with some roses, good for dreaming while doing a necessary chore.”
I would sort through all my scraps of things I had made and loved and make a patchwork quilt for my ironing board.. it would make me so happy just to look at it!
If I could have any fabric as my ironing board cover it would probably be blue and black zigzag with silver and white accents :)
My ironing board cover would have a seaside town on it with lots of sailboats in the harbor..I could at least pretend I was there and not here ironing…yuk!
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board it would be pink! Pink is my favorite color :)
Thanks for the tutorial!
I think if have to go with vintage sewing machines/dress forms/notions/etc.
If I could have any cover on the doll sized ironing board cover I would pick a pretty yellow, like the morning sunshine, filled with pretty flowers in pinks, purples, oranges and even white, to resemble my garden. The ironing board cover is for my one and only granddaughter, who lives too far away to come visit very often. I make clothes and accessories for her AG dolls and send to her so she knows Grandma is thinking about her. She is also learning to sew so she can make things for her dolls herself.
If I could have any cover on the doll sized ironing board cover I would pick a pretty yellow, like the morning sunshine, filled with pretty flowers in pinks, purples, oranges and even white, to resemble my garden. The ironing board cover is for my one and only granddaughter, who lives too far away to come visit very often. I make clothes and accessories for her AG dolls and send to her so she knows Grandma is thinking about her. She is also learning to sew so she can make things for her dolls herself.
My ironing cover would have to be a solid as I can get distracted easily but it would have to be a pretty solid. Purple with sparkles! I love this site! I have an AG doll and my granddaughter and niece will get an 18 in for Christmas. They will adore everything I get from this site.
Very striking look with rainbow colors and white bias trim glued around edge and this is so adorable.
I would like to have running horses so they could carry me away from chores!
If I won the ironing board, my cover would look like a patchwork design made from scraps.
it would be pink background with black vintage style class 15 sewing machines! =)
….red and white in any print, flowere, dots, or stripes perhaps. I love the red and white kitchen items from the 50’s and think my granddaughters would enjoy those colors as well. Thanks for sharing all of your nifty ideas.
I would love a ladybug print! Love your tutorials
“If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would look like…It would have to have iron scorch marks on it, I can’t seem to use an iron without setting it face down on my cover, not matter how lovely or ugly the fabric is I use to make my new cover out of it will be “personalized” quickly.
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board it be something with a tropical theme or sewing theme.
Cookies and bars, look, enjoy – no calories. Thanks for your site – it’s great.
a trip to fairyland with fairy gardens and fairy houses and beautiful fairies of all kinds!
Bright green and cheerful.
If I could have any cover on my ironing board, it would look like a garden and have little flowers all over it. My daughter’s room is painted like a garden and that’s where she spends her time playing with her AG doll. Love your site! It’s full of great ideas!
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would have cats chasing butterflies in flowers.
As a little girl, two strong memories I have growing up, was waking up to the smell of coffee and watching my mom get ready to go to work. She would get the ironing board out every morning. I would choose a a cover just like the one I remember. It was plain blue-ish grey with tiny sparkles.
A beautiful dragonfly garden full of dragonflies!
I’d have a camping scene. Thanks for the tutorial.
If I could have any cover I wanted on the ironing board I would choose turquoise with tiny white flowers.
A tropical beach scene! :-)
I hope you read these comments because I can’t enter – don’t live in the States – but I would REALLY like to learn how you made that iron!! I can’t see the details very clearly in the picture as to how it was made so a tutorial on making it would be fantastic!
it would be covered in cute little paper dolls simply because I love paper dolls and at age 67, I still do not want to grow up.
If I’m being practical, I’d want grid markings for my craft projects. In reality, I don’t think I could do better than the cover I have now with its vintage sewing machines and supplies. I made it several years ago from some Mary Engelbreit fabric, and I still love it.
“If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would look like a bed of monkey-faced pansies in a full pallet of yellows and purples smiling up at me.
If I could have anything I wanted on my ironing board cover it would have to be anything with purple in it for my sweet granddaughter……maybe some mermaids! Thank you!
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board I would want a celestial printed one or one with math equations and formulas written all over it.
I would have brightly colored dragonflies and butterflies
Thanks for the tutorial :}
What a fun thing. I like the fabric you Used or a small floral print. What a neat scene I could set up. Already have a doll size clothes basket and line with tiny clothespins. Love creating little vignettes with my dolls and their accessories!
“If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board, it would look like dragonflies!
I would love to have vintage sewing pattern fabric for the ironing board – we love vintage!
Linda
August 22, 2014
If I could have any kind of cover on my ironing board , it would look like….. I would love doll clothes