or:
“How to Make and Use Mini Embroidery Ironing Boards”
By Charlotte Houghton
As soon as we finish our embroidery and take our new project out of the hoop, it begins to shrink. To stop this shrinkage, the threads should be told where to live. The process is simple even though it takes a little time.
Supplies
The first thing to do is make a mini-ironing board for each of your hoop sizes. The thickness must be deeper than your hoop is so it will be off the your standard ironing board. This will vary from ¾” to 1” depending on what wood you use. You may use a 1′x4” lumber which is really ¾”x3 ¾” or cut out from 1” plywood. Draw the inside of the inner hoop onto it or a sheet of paper then take ½” off the top and one side. This will give you a ¼” clearance all around the inner hoop. Place your pattern on you wood and cut out your wooden board.
Now comes the fun part. Cut some thermal batting to the longest part of your new board then wrap this long, long strip of batting around your new board starting with a wide side and allow enough extra batting to be tucked inside the last long flat side. This will give you one side with only one layer of batting on it and the other side will have three layers of batting on it.
Get the idea? Now using a needle a one strand of thread whip stitch both ends of the batting. You do not have to make this pretty. It will be used just to help stuff all this inside the cover you are going to make next. Measure your board around and cut silver ironing board fabric (Or other fabric will such as “Duck”, canvas, etc) allow ½” seams. This may be surged or sewn. I crop off (not much) some of the corners of my boards so the cover fits a little easier.
Now comes the tricky part. You have a cover with three sides sewn or surged and you need to insert your newly covered board into the cover. I suggest you start to turn the cover at the bottom and start stuffing the board into it and work your way up by sliding the cover over the board which will turn it right side out by the time you get to the top (just like you would use a “tube turner”). Your cover should be taut because it is an Ironing Board, just smaller. Remember, you will have one of each of your hoop sizes. Just close the open end with a whip stitch and you are done. The next board will be easier than the first one.
Once you have all your new Mini-Ironing Boards completed, it is time to use them.
Your next step is to embroider something.
Remove the hoop from the machine.
While your new embroidery is in the hoop, place it over the soft part of your new ironing board.
If you would like, you can put a towel over the board between the board and the hoop. This will help from crushing the embroidery. Use a steam iron and press for a count of 10 to 20 depending on how much heat the fabric can take.
Do this three times. This will tell the embroidery threads where to live almost forever.
After the 3rd time take the embroidery out of the hoop and place it face down on your towel which is on your standard ironing board and press it again three times.
This will take out any press marks from the hoop.
After wearing and washing, you will notice you will not have to press them embroidery and it will not shrink up.
The principal of this process is the same as the old permanent creases in our slacks we used to wear years ago. We are steam cooking memory into the threads.
**** When pressing your embroidery, use the steam iron to heat up the fabric and HOLD ANOTHER BOARD OR BOOK ON THE EMBROIDERY FOR A COUNT OF 20. Repeat altering the Steam Iron then hold a board on it three times. Do the same when you take the project out of the hoop. DO NOT hold the iron on your project for a count of 20.
I will try this soon. Why can’t I just press on my ironing board and get the same results?
I’m anxious to try this! Also, spraying lightly with spray startch before you press helps.
This is an *awesome* *awesome* idea. Simply stupendous. Exceedingly clever. Dang, I wish I had thought of it.
Would it be possible for you to publish this as a PDF, so it would be easy to print and file? Printing the blog entry doesn’t always allow for nice formatting.
-Shelley
Molto interessante…… soprattutto molto utile.
GRAZIE!!
What a great idea- one question, when you say place the embroidery in the hoop over the soft side and press- are you pressing on the bottom side of the embroidery?
Thank you so much for sharing them with us.
Stitching Greetings
Diana from the Netherlands
I do not normally leave comments, I am always going to but never seem to get round to it but this one could not be put on hold. Great idea and excellent instructions thank you. Joyce
I have a question on the ironing. When you put the embroidery still in the hoop on the ironing board the first time, is the embroidery face up or face down? My iron can not fit into my hoop to steam press it if it is face up.
Thanks
Joan
Would the heat from the iron damage the embroidery hoop, and doesn’t this reinforce the hoop burn?
small ironing boards for embroidery projects.
Makes good sense! Thanks for such a practical idea and great follow through on the how to make!
This sounds great too me. I always press my work as soon as I take it out of the hoop anyway. Thanks for the tip.
This is a fantastic project..another Honey Do for my Husband….This should help now that I am planning to do a number of embroidered T-shirts….Nothing is worse than having the threads shrink after the first washing…Great idea..
This seems like a lot of work , why not use a piece of balsa wood that is about 3/4 of an inch thick .
Balsa wood is light and relatively soft .
Any comments ?
Great idea! I also have this problem at times. I’m asking my husband to make some mini boards too!
Thank you, thank you. Great information. Just what I needed.
Just what I needed I was going to buy a table top mini-ironing board now I don’t need to thanks gor the idea!
Good idea. Thanks for sharing!
What a wonderful idea and one that I will try.
Thank you.
I am going to print this out so my husband can start making these for me. What a great idea!
Can’t wait to try this one.
This is the best tip yet! I receive complaints from my daughter that the embroidery has to be ironed all the time. Wish I knew this years ago.
Thanks.
Impressed! So very smart, and solves a problem I realized, but hadn’t thought through. Can’t wait to make mine, and thank you for sharing.
This sounds wonderful, but I’m confused about this instruction. “While your new embroidery is in the hoop, place it over the soft part of your new ironing board.” Is the embroidery design in direct contact with the bottom of the iron? Thankss!
Will the heat of the iron melt or warp the hoop? Like the idea for setting the design. Thanks you for sharing.
Very interesting idea. We set the stitches when sewing/quilting so it is only logical to do the same with embroidery. I didn’t realize the stitching begins to shrink while still in the hoop. I will have to give it a try.
Sheila G.
What a great suggestion, I am very anxious to try this as I really hate to give someone a gift that is going to have to be pressed as well as not wanting to press items I make for myself.
Well, how neat is that!!! Tks! Now to get some minis made!!
I love the ironing board idea!
It is so simple and neat! I am
always looking for new ideas for
my embroidery projects, ways to
make it easier.
Thanks very much for sharing.
J Bucy
This is a great idea. I’m going to put my husband to work making the boards. I’m sure he has some wood that would do. I’ll print these instructions out so I’ll have them to refer to. Thanks.
Thank you, that is a fantastically fabulous idea!
I am going to make one.
Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful tool. Can’t wait to try it!!!
This is a fantastic idea. I’m going to make some of them.
Thank you,
Pat
what a great idea – i will be making one asap – thanks
THANKS!!!! thats a great idea, I will put my husband to work ASAP, then I will finish the ironing boards.
What a good idea… Will have to get together with my friends (who are also into embroidery) and make some of these for our different hoops.
Thank you for the instructions and photos.
Excellent topic! Very clearly and concisely written with great photos. I’m off to make mine now !! Solves an iritating shrinkage problem for this newbie !! Thank you !
Thoroughly enjoy and appreciate your embroidery newsletter articles. Thank-you for sharing from your wealth of experience. Am off to make my mini ironing board now
)
Thanks so much. I’m going to try this. Lori P
This sounds so neat!!! Can’t wait to make one and try it out!
Hi one and all.What a brilliant idea this is.Thank you from myself and thank you from all the little threads because now they will know where they live.I shall certainly try it.I am back on track after my last bout of treatment and I can start to sew again.And the thought of no shrinkage is great.The suggestions and designs you come up with are amazing and I am sure my gratitude and big thank you not only comes from myself but everyone that uses your site.May God keep you all safe.Rae
This is a great idea – thanks!
This sounds like a great idea. Makes total sense. Too bad I took an embroidery out of a hoop just befor reading this. I could have made a board & tried it out immediately. Certainly will very soon. Thanks for the help.
When I try to link this to facebook, I get this message: “The page you requested was not found.
You may have clicked an expired link or mistyped the address. Some web addresses are case sensitive.”
[editor's note: Sorry, Connie, the link was causing a conflict. I am sure it will be corrected as soon possible. ]
Thank you for these very clear and useful instructions. I’d never thought of setting the embroidery threads before removing from the hoop and so appreciate your sharing.
What a neat idea! I wonder if this could be made using foam core board, instead of wood?
I will be trying this method in the am as it sounds like it will work!!
WOW, love this tip. Gonna get DH to cut me some boards this week.
Very interesting!
This sounds like a GREAT idea….how did you learn this? I need to do this right away….I love learning new things, just like this. Thanks so much for sharing!!!!
Brilliant Charlotte!! Hubby off to the shed to start making me two!! Thank you so much for the info on training the threads too.
What a GREAT idea! I can’t wait to try it, Thank you!
What a brilliant idea…thankyou for sharing and for the very clear directions.
What and excellent idea, now I just have to get the handyman inspired to make me several.
Thanks for sharing this Charlotte
Regards
Judy Jennings
Great idea – would a dressmakers ham serve the same purpose or do you need the silver ironing board fabric for this to be successful ?
SUPER HELPFUL TANKS I LOVE THE IDEA
MERCEDES
I press all my projects when I take them out of the hoop and never thought about a ‘mini ironing board’ for while still in the hoop. Love this! Thanks for sharing.
What a great idea.
I have boards for my hoops that I use when I have to cut back fabric on the wrong site for in-the-hoop projects. Bare MDF. I could easily make seperate padding so I could use it the way I do now and with the padding as an ironing board.
Thanks for posting!
What a wonderful tip, I’m certainly going to use it. The towel over the top of the embroidery is a must. I’m going to keep a small towel in my sewing room just for this purpose!
Great idea. Well thought out, explained and photographed. Thank you for sharing such an obvious solution!
Sounds like a super idea, I am moving it to the top of my “projects” list! Thanks!
What a brilliant idea – I’ll get my husband cutting up some wood later I knew the bits he hoards would be useful! I always press my embroideries right side down on a piece of fleece left over from a jacket but this is a much better idea.
Thank you
I like your idea very much. This is a problem that often happens with embroidery, in spite of careful hooping. Are we pressing from the wrong side of the hoop? Is the hoop in danger of any heat damage from the steam iron? I do wish you had posted photos of the complete process of using the new mini board.
This sounds like a great idea! Will have Hubby make the boards for me as soon as he can. I’m starting my own little sewing shop soon, need all the help I can get!
Thanks much,
Vivian
I really like this idea i will see if i can get someone to make me one of these!!Thanks for shareing Carolyn
I found both articles (how to make a mini ironing board and the importance of steaming in memory) to be most informative. I never realized the importance of ironing immediately, though I usually do. I also didn’t know that there was a proper way of doing this for the longterm. I make designs for quilters to incorporate into their blankets for the Linus Project and will get right on making those ironing boards as soon as I find someone to cut the wood required. Thanks for all your wonderful tips! Keep them coming!!!
what a great idea, thanks for sharing..
Joan
What a great idea. Wish I had heard of this when I first started embroidering. I have several shirts that have “puckered” edges around the embroidery. Thanks
What a neat idea! I wonder if it would be possible to do this with foamcore board, rather than lumber?
this is such a good tip i will get my slave to knock a couple up(this is aussie speak)just incase ive said something which offends
Thank you so much. I am new at this and love to get helpful ideas. I will spread the word about your web site.
I’m sorry, a big piece of infomation has been omitted. When pressing your embroidery, use the steam iron to heat up the fabric and HOLD ANOTHER BOARD OR BOOK ON THE EMBROIDERY FOR A COUNT OF 20. Repeat altering the Steam Iron then hold a board on it three times. Do the same when you take the project out of the hoop. DO NOT hold the iron on your project for a count of 20.
Wow, I can not wait to try this! Shrinking designs have always frustrated me to no end…Thanks!
That is a neat idea – thanks for sharing!
Thank you for all your wonderful comments. The density of your design will dictate how long you need to steam and cook your threads. I do have some answers for some of you.
#7, 23 & 62: Never press your embroidery on the font side. It will crush your design. Part of the embroidery’s beauty is dimension and texture.
#8 ^ 24: For the last 9 years just heating up the fabric with steam and holding in the heat has not hurt my hoops.
#13 & #68 Using steam heat may break down a soft wood. I do not recommend using Foamcore nor particle board.
Thanks for all your comments. Charlotte
This is a very SMART idea, and as so many have said, I thank you for bringing some light on the shrinking threads. It is so right , we sew and quilt and press our threads to lock into place. Setting threads had never been brought up as far as embroidery. I wonder why!. Thanks so much. Carylanne
great idea, I’ll definately be trying this, thanks so much
I made one of each of the two smaller hoops that I use regularly. I have the same questions about which side to press and will the iron harm my hoop. I did find a secondary plus of having these in my sewing room arsenial; The larger one is super for pressing out a point in a pillow case seam before trimming and sewing a french seam. Will a small craft iron, the kind use to attach rhinestones, be hot enough to do the job?
Loved the idea and have already made some for 2 of my hoops – one more size to go. I tried it out on some stretchy Tees and they looked great. Can’t wait to see what the the designs look like after washing!
WoW!!!1 Not only is this a super idea.It is so well illustrated and described. Thank you so very much for the information and the project. Who Knew?????Another great tool in the craft kit!! Wonderful!!!!
Great idea! Thank you Charlotte
Thought that this was such a great idea! Hubby made them. Neither he or I can make them work even after reading the directions & all 81 comments. Is the heat & of the iron really suppose to go through cover, wooden piece & more cover while this is on the top of the embrodery. If not on top, then it needs to go through the stabilizer. What happens when steam or heat hits that stabilizer. On clothing you want washable stablizer which I discover steam affects. How are you suppose to heat the fabric when you aren’t suppose to iron on the front & have a washable stabilizer on the back. I am hoping that someone can make this clear for me. The picture on page 5 is not helpful either. Thanks.
I have made a PDF file of the above article but don’t see where I can upload it for everyone. If it is ok, I can send it to YAHOO group for posting. I am going to try this, but could not get it to print so I used my computer knowledge to print as a pdf. My PDF does give credit where it belongs and shows that it came from SICK.