Saturday, February 7

How to Make a Quilter's Custom Pressing Table, Part 1

I am sooo excited! I enrolled my super-handy contractor-dude to make a pressing table to MY specifications! What a brilliant notion! The finished size is 22' x 58". Luxurious! I'm 5'10" and my quaint antique ironing board -- a bargain that Ken found for $5 at the thrift store -- was so low I was starting to develop a hunchback. The short height of that ironing board is further proof that people were shorter back in the day.

The surface is 3"inches below my bent elbow, ergonomically perfect for a quilter's pressing surface, according to Lois Hallock in her great book, Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space: Sewing-Room Makeovers for Any Space And Any Budget

Here, I've cleared off the dining room table and laid out an appropriately-sized piece of fabric and one layer of 80/20 batting. Ken found this cute peach and yellow check upholstery-weight fabric for 50 cents a yard at the thrift store. (I tell ya, that man LIVES for thrift stores!)

I had my contractor cut me a big ol' piece of MDF (medium-density fiberboard) to 22" x 58". I then used my handy-dandy staple gun, working back and forth on opposite sides in order to make sure it was stretched evenly.

The corners were a bit too bulky, so I trimmed away the excess batting inside the corners folds.

Check my next post for the finishing touches and photos of the completed table...

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2 comments:

  1. Cotton batting or poly? I need to set up my studio downstairs to get the mess out of my dining room so this is a very timely post to read! Thanks for the info!

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  2. It was 80 cotton/20 poly. I wasn’t sure about using the blend, but when I described my project to the quilt shop lady, she said it would work just fine. And so far, so good!

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