A pressing board

In the first lesson of Elizabeth Hartman’s “Inspired Modern Quilts” Craftsy class, a design wall and a pressing board are made. My design wall isn’t anything super pretty, just a piece of fleece-type fabric mounted onto a sturdy back of a large Ikea picture frame of 70×100 cm size.

As mentioned yesterday, the pressing board required a few more steps to be taken, since I didn’t have veneer sailing around, just waiting to be made into something. Dad and I drove to a lumberyard on Friday and in what corresponds to a bolt-end category of a fabric shop I found a piece of veneer of the perfect size to fit my countertops – which is where I’ve concluded I’ll do the pressing. The ironing board does come in handy when dealing with larger pieces sewn together or pressing in preparation for cutting, but in my small flat it is blocking the balcony door entirely, so this pressing board is a true stroke of genius.

The size of the pressing board is about 59×75 cm (23,2”x29,5”) and an average countertop measures 60 cm in depth here. I cut three layers of low-loft cotton batting and a piece from a tablecloth inherited from my grandmother. First I tested some Marimekko fabrics due to their dense and thick weave, but the patterns were too busy. The fabric chosen has patterns in the weave, which is a nice detail:

The light is coming from behind me, so the quality of photography isn’t great. The weaved pattern does show well, however, and I’d describe the flowers as some kind of art deco thingy. As a sidenote, I’ll have to learn how to use the textile mangle of the apartment building, because I genuinely suck at ironing tablecloths.

At this point, someone might be interested in seeing the back, as well?

Elizabeth finished with duct tape, which I obviously haven’t done yet. I did show the hammer to some of the staples (8 mm deep) that were sticking up a bit above the surface. Either thinner tape of the packing kind (maybe clear even to pretty it up a bit?) or duct tape is probably a good idea to avoid scratching the countertop.

I’m so pleased about this pressing board! It was the first time for me to use a stapling gun and its sound is very appaling, but the work it does is great, so much so that I’ve decided to make a new cover for my headboard before returning the gun and staples to dad. I have some white Ikea fabric (Lenda if my memory still serves me) that I could use, but more about this project later.

For those of you, who need to press many small things, I want to stress that this isn’t difficult at all! The only potential hickup is finding veneer (make sure it’s at least 1/2” thick or, rumour has it, it will warp), but otherwise it’s about cutting and shooting.