Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Is Your Ironing Board Toxic?

 The other day when I took Sharon Schamber's Workshop
she mentioned that many quilters are using 
Ironing Boards that emit toxic fumes.
I had never considered the possibility,
but now that I think of it, 
it makes complete sense.
Do you ever 
get headaches
become dizzy
or smell fumes as you iron?
The inner
chemical ridden  Polyurethane Foam
or
Teflon coating
may be a contributor.
I'd be quite happy to give up ironing my clothes,
but as a quilter,
 NEED (yes need!) to press fabrics 
on a daily basis.
I've found several solutions that can help.
 I purchased a pre-made
14" X 19"
from Sharon's daughter Christy (Purple Daisies)
There are a lot of perks to this pressing board
including the fact that they are non-toxic,
 and made with 100% Cotton Canvas exterior
with Warm and Natural Batting underneath.
(the back)
Added features include
the use of a hard surface that helps in accuracy
by not distorting the size of your piece.
* see additional features 
Or, if you would like to make your own
Pressing Board
Sharon offers a
Free Tutorial 
on You Tube
Thanks Sharon!
And if you would like to recover your 
ironing boards 
with non-toxic materials
Rachel Hauser (Stitched In Color)
offers a great Tutorial
*and my friend Cathy Underhill from Australia
(Cabbage Quilts)
recently did a post
HERE
on how she made a large
Pressing Board 
(using Sharon Schamber's Tutorial)
to fit the top of a
green sideboard in her new
quilting studio.

4 comments:

Lynette said...

Oh my gosh!! Thank you for this post. I never even *thought* about the ironing board and Teflon toxins. As a Lupus person with increased cancer susceptibility I thank you for this post. :) ::going downstairs to strip that Teflon cover off the board and find stuff to recover it with::

Needled Mom said...

I never thought about it, but I will now. Guess it's time to change my ironing board cover.

Cathy @ CabbageQuilts said...

Thank you for the linky love Nedra, I'm so thrilled with my large pressing board, I never want to go back to my old rickety one! xo

lucy said...

Best Ironing Boards