DIY Pressing Board

Hi everyone! Today I’ve got a super simple sewing related DIY project that involves no sewing. It’s no secret that I am a firm believer that pressing during sewing is one of the most instrumental steps in getting a professional, polished looking finished garment. From the moment I sit down to begin sewing, I plug my iron in so that it’s already preheated and ready to go when I need it. I’ve heard from many sewists who don’t agree and are happy with their finished products…and that is absolutely their prerogative. We all do what works the best for us (our time, our space, our limitations, etc). For those who don’t know, I don’t have a dedicated sewing space or studio. My machines are set up against a wall in my living room. My fabric is stored in totes in closets (and a storage unit that I check on every month or so 🫣). This means that ironing and the best way to do it has changed a lot for me over the years. For a while, I was using a mat that I could roll up, but I wasn’t super happy with it. I didn’t like placing it on my cutting table and I didn’t like using it on the carpet. My husband bought me a very nice, high quality ironing board and while I loved it for a while, it just became a hassle to store. I didn’t want to have to walk to another room to put it away, and I no longer liked storing it behind the front door because it fell over and hit me on the head one too many times.

The fashion department at my school uses pressing boards, and I’ve always enjoyed the presses that I’ve gotten with them in the few instances that I needed to sew something on campus. When I was recently at my sewing friend (Jue)’s house, she had an entire pressing table. When I asked her about it, she revealed that both the boards at school and her table were made from the same materials. I was reminded how easy and customizable the process is. Today, I am going to show you how I made my own version so that you can make one too!

Materials

• cotton fabric (solid, printed, plain muslin; amount depends on size of board)
• a piece of plywood (mine is 24″x24″ and ~3/4″ thick)
• cotton batting (amount depends on size of board)
• heavy duty staple gun with extra staples
• heavy duty staple remover

As with all my DIYs, there is always room for customization and doing it your own way. My measurements are suited for my sewing space and what works for me. You could use larger plywood, perhaps even a tabletop like Jue, or even go smaller if you wanted to make a sleeve board or needed something for smaller projects. I chose a 24×24 plywood because it is easy to store in my space, it’s a sizable work space for pressing, and it is the most universally available size you can buy at the hardware store off the shelf. There are different types of wood and different thicknesses. I purchased what I liked the sturdiness and price point of here from Home Depot. For batting, you will need to account for 2-3 layers, as well as enough to wrap over the edges. I had various battings leftover from previous projects, and ended up using a twin quilt batting for mine with 2 layers. I recommend you measure your plywood, plus 3″ excess on each side, and then determine the amount of batting width you will need from there. Your cover fabric will also vary depending on your board size. I used a cut of fabric I had leftover from a previous project, which just happened to be the perfect amount. Once you see how all the materials come together, it may better inform your purchase decisions. So, let’s get to it!

1. Place the board onto the batting and determine how much you need to cut for your first layer. I recommend leaving some excess on all sides to “baste” staple in place. You don’t need to leave as much as I did, but make sure it wraps at least 2″ from the edge. The extra will be trimmed off later. Begin wrapping from the top or bottom and then staple 2 or 3 times along the edge. Flip over and make sure the batting is smooth with no wrinkles or bumps, then staple on the opposite side the same way. These staples will get removed later. (Staple close to the edge of the batting, not the board, like I did in the first pic. They are easier to remove this way.)
2. Rotate your board so that the top and bottom that you just stapled are on the sides. Repeat the same steps, folding the tops and bottoms to be stapled. Make sure to smooth the batting down on the other side. Staple again, close to the edge of the batting. Remember, these will get removed.
3. Repeat the same process for however many layers of batting you wish to use. I only used two. Make sure to feel through for staples before putting more. Next, staple 1/2″ or so away from the edge of the board around all 4 sides, about an inch or so apart, to secure the batting. You can then trim away all the extra batting and remove the “basting” staples that were close to the edge of the batting. If this is not super pretty, that is okay. It will be covered up soon by the fabric.
4. Place the board so that the batting is touching the wrong side of your fabric. Leave 3-4″ of fabric around all 4 sides for neat, clean folding.

5. Wrap the bottom of your fabric over the edge. Feel through the fabric and staple either right above the staples from your batting or in between them to secure this edge.
6. Carefully flip the board over, keeping the fabric pulled tight at the edge you have already stapled. Iron away from that side, using a sun ray motion. Iron from the stapled edge out toward the sides and top edge, always starting from the stapled edge.
7. Take your time pressing. You want the fabric to be very nice and flat so that you can tightly and neatly finish the board.
8. Fold the opposite edge and staple the same as you did the first edge, making sure the fabric is still pulled tight.

9. Working on your stapled top and bottom, fold the outermost raw edge under an inch or two (no exact measurement needed). Then, making sure the fabric is still pulled tight, staple close to the folded edges.
10. Rotate the board, then fold the other two sides the same way, but don’t staple yet. After folding the edge, you will need to fold/tuck the corners neatly. If you can do all those fancy, quilting mitered corner thingies, be my guest. I simply treated it the way I do wrapping paper, and kinda pushed the edges of the side inward to give this shape. I pressed to set the crease and used clips to hold it while I pressed the other side to match.
11. Fold the outermost raw edge under an inch or two (same as the other sides, no exact measurement needed). Making sure the fabric is pulled tight, staple close to the folded edges, from the angled sides, all the way across the top.
12. Fold your final edge, including the corners and staple in the same way to complete your pressing board!

Here is my completed board and I love it so much. It’s such a nice pressing surface, helping me to get nice, crisp seams, and it’s easy to store. I had an idea when I was done that it would have been neat to make the cover with elastic edges so that I could take it off and wash it, kinda like you do an ironing board. Maybe I’ll do that if this fabric gets gunky and I feel the need to change it, but for now I am happy. Are you gonna make your own? I’d love to see if you do!