Portable Ironing Pad Tutorial

Here is a tutorial on how to create your own portable ironing pad. This is for those smaller projects that you don’t need a full size ironing board.  This also recycles an old car sun shield.

For this project you will need:

Fabric

Insulbright or other insulating batting

Extra regular batting

A car sun shield with a center of foam, not the bubbles.

First determine how big you would like your pad to be. I decided to have one for my quilting blocks.  So I wanted 17 X 22 inches. Cut the insulbright and batting to 17 ½ inches by 22 ½ inches.  Cut the fabric to 38 X 23 inches.

Press 1 inch fold on the 17 ½ inch sides. Then fold over another 1 inches on each of those sides. Iron and sew. This will give you the finished edge after everything is sewn.

Lay the insulated padding against the wrong side of the fabric. Make sure to position the padding so that it will be in the correct position after the other side is folded over so the finished edges meet.

Then place the other batting over the insulated batting. Pin and quilt both battings into place.

Fold the fabric in half so right sides are together. Pin marking the 17 1/2 inch side to remind you NOT to sew them shut. I differed the pin positioning and also added red pins to remind me not to sew that side shut.  

Sew the other three sides. I did add a line of stitching on the fold to ensure that the batting stayed in place and didn't creep in future use.Trim away excess bulk.

Turn the ironing pad inside out. Slip the car sun shield inside making sure the shiny side is facing up. This will prevent steam from getting to your table. 

I suggest that this side be left open so you can remove the sun shield for washing or if you need to add a different sun shield after wear and tear. If you really feel the need to close it, then I suggest using a few tacking stitches that can easily be removed.

Now you have a finished ironing pad that you can use on a table or desk for smaller projects. I have washed this on gentle in the washer and it has held up fine. I will safety pin the open side closed next time, though because a sock got trapped in it.

Mug Cozy Tutorial

You will need: Fabric for front and back of cozy; Matching or contrasting thread; Batting (insulated or non-insulated); Buttons; And elastic hair ties.

Start by measuring the width of the cup. Choose the widest part near the middle. I measure my mugs through the handle as that is where the cozy will snuggle the mug. This will give you the length of the fabric. Remember to add seam allowances. Since this craft doesn’t require the cozy to be strong, I only used a quarter inch seam allowance on each side for a total of an extra half inch.

Then measure the height of the mug. This will give you the width of the cozy. Remember to add seam allowances. Again, I only used a quarter of an inch on each side.

Cut your fabric into 2 strips based on your width measurement (plus seam allowance) and the length measurement (plus seam allowance). Cut batting into strips based on width and length measurements without seam allowances. So your fabric will be bigger than the batting.

Place fabric right sides together. Center your batting on the top fabric (this should be the wrong side up) and pin in place. (It doesn’t look like it in the photo, but there is a seam allowance on the other side that doesn’t show.)

Sew lengthwise alone one edge of the batting approximately 1/8 of an inch from the edge of the batting. Trim off excess seam allowance. Trim up to the batting.

Turn the fabric pieces over so they sandwich the batting. The right sides should now be facing out. Fold the bottom fabric over the batting and pin in place. Then fold the top fabric so the folded edge meets the bottom fabric fold. Pin in place.

Sew lengthwise along the edge approximately 1/8 of an inch from the edge to stitch the side closed. I use the quarter inch foot and move the needle so that it sews 1/8 of an inch from the edge.

Now your cozy should be a tube open on both ends.

Fold the edge under ¼ of an inch so you will have a finished edge. Pin in place. Center the elastic band and pin in place. I found it easier to use one center pin to keep the elastic in place and two pins on the sides to keep the band closer to the center spot. Sew approximately 1/8 of an inch from the edge to seal the edge and to secure the elastic band.

Next add the button(s). Place the cozy around the mug and stretch the elastic to a point where it will hold the cozy snugly, but not too tightly. Mark that spot with a pin or marking pencil. Sew a button to that spot. I included a second button for decoration and also so I could use it with another sized mug.

The cozies can be angled on the ends so they fit through the handle better. I thought that the asymmetrical shape of this one would help it fit into the handle and keep it centered on the mug.

Here are the three mug cozies that I created today. The ends on each are different so I can experiment and decide which works better. They make inexpensive gifts. Embellishments and embroidery would personalize each. (I need to save up for an embroidery machine.)

Here is the finished product with the mug.

Lining Green Grocery Bags

I tend to end up at a store with the bags from another store and it bugs me. By putting a lining in the shopping bags, I make the bags stronger. Also, I can turn them inside out if the printed name on the bag is not the name of the store where I am shopping. 

The instructions in this tutorial can be used for making Green Eco bags as well as lining them.

We have quite a stash of shopping bags, including an insulated bag for keeping foods hot or cold. I measured each bag and wrote the dimensions down on my notebook. I used each bag to contain the fabric pieces so that I wouldn’t get them mixed up since I had so many different measurements. I used half an inch seam allowance on each side, so I only had to add one inch to my measurements.

I needed another insulated bag and used a layer of Insul-Bright secured to the fabric with spray adhesive. Pin right sides together and sew.

Do not turn the lining right side out. Insert the lining into the bag so the wrong side is against the inside of the shopping bag.

Tack the inside corners of the lining to the inside corners of the bag. I like to pin the lining in place and then just add a couple of simple stitches to secure the lining.

Turn the shopping bag so the lining is facing out. Fold over the top of the lining so it is even with the edge of the shopping bag. Pin in place and sew.

Here is an image of the bags after sewing the lining to the bag.

This next step is optional. I liked the lining fabric so much that I wanted to keep it facing out. I covered all the handles so they matched.

Here are the finished shopping bags. Each has a different lining because they are all from different stores.

I added a black ribbon as decoration. The ribbons can be used to tie up the rolled shopping bags for easier storage.