DIY Ironing Pad Made With a Mylar Emergency Blanket

3 Materials
$8
2 Hours
Medium

I wanted a small ironing pad that I could place beside my sewing machine, to use for pressing seams while I was sewing. I was thinking about what I could use to protect my sewing table from the steam and heat of the iron, and I thought about one of those Mylar space blankets. They are supposed to reflect heat, so why not try that? I really like the end result, and now I'll show you how to make your own. It would be great for quilters, or anyone who needs to complete small pressing tasks while they are sewing.



If you like this idea, check out some of my other sewing room organization ideas!

First, I determined the size that my ironing pad should be. I wanted it to slide over the fold-out leaf of my sewing table, so I measured the leaf and cut two layers of a cotton flannel pillowcase that were the size of the top of my table leaf, plus the thickness of the leaf, and added 1/2" seam allowances.

I cut two layers of cotton batting, and one layer of Mylar emergency blanket that were the same size as my flannel pieces. Then I layered them in this order: Two pieces of flannel, two pieces of batting, and one layer of Mylar.


It might seem wrong at first to have both pieces of flannel next to each other, but I promise this is correct. ;-)

I didn't want to make a bunch of holes in the Mylar by using straight pins, so I used clothespins to hold the layers together.

I love sewing with upcycled and repurposed materials (check out some of my other upcycled projects here), so sewing with Mylar was right up my alley. It is a little trickier to sew than fabric, but overall I was very pleased with how well it went through the machine. The really hard part was photographing it, because it's so dang shiny!


I sewed through all of the layers around three sides, using a 1/2" seam allowance, and now I had a large pocket that I could slide over my sewing table leaf. I did not sew the side that was the original hem of the pillowcase.

I flipped one layer of flannel to the other side, so that the seam allowances were all on the inside. Now I had one layer of flannel that wrapped around the bottom of the sewing table leaf, and then on top of the leaf I had a layer of Mylar, two layers of cotton batting, and another layer of flannel on top.

It works great! I haven't had any issues with heat or steam harming my sewing table. But since this was kind of an experimental project, I recommend that you don't use it on an antique or special piece of furniture, just in case.


Now, on to more pressing matters! ;-)

Suggested materials:
  • Cotton Flannel Pillowcase   (Thrift Store)
  • Cotton Batting   (Fabric Store)
  • Mylar Emergency Blanket   (Emergency Kit)
Iamsewcrazy
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
Comments
Join the conversation
 2 comments
  • William William on Apr 28, 2019

    This is genius. Can even be used to make a mini ironing board for someone who doesn't have room for a full size one or just needs an ironing touch up. Would be a great ironing board cover for those wall units. Great share

Next