Job #3

Here is the 57" table round I made tonight and a peek at the pressing station that I made as well.
The table round is serged around the edge and then I used my 4mm rolled hemmer foot to finish the edge. Due to the fact that the rounder is just that. . . round, the edges have lettuced a little. Pressing helped some, and I think once it is draped over the table it won't be noticable.
There is no crease in it, just a join in my pressing pads.
Speaking of my pressing pads, I needed a large place to press, preferrably my kitchen table, but I didn't want to ruin the surface so I looked around for some solutions and talked to Jo, my boss and mentor and after a trip to JoAnn's fabric store in Fayetteville 2 weeks ago and an following trip to Home Depot this is what I came up with. It is 2 June Taylor Perfect press pads that measure 24"x64" each side by side making a 48"x64" surface. These pads are great. They have a 20"x60"- 1/2"grid on them for aligining things. They also have elastic straps at the 4 corners to help them stay attached to whatever surface you are using them on.
I had a 4'x8'x1/8" piece of whiteboard/tileboard cut down to the exact dimensions and then sewed a flannel sleeve that had 2 channels the size of my boards. I slid the boards inside and then adhered foam shelf liner to the 4 ends not covered by my sleeve. Finally I attached the pads onto the board assembly. I now have a jointed, padded, moisture proof, heat resistant,non-slip, lightly padded surface large enough to press bigger items and it folds down to fit right beside my washing machine! I can use this on the floor, my bed, my kitchen counter if it's ever clean enough and my dining table! I can also fold it half width for smaller jobs, or just remove the pad and take it with me to sewing class, craft night, etc.
Thanks Jo for all of your input into what would make a great expanded pressing surface for home use. This thing is so great I want to ditch my traditional ironing board!