Finished! Ironing Board Cover

I love I Spy fabrics.  They've been my biggest fabric weakness for at least 3 years now.  And though I've made several I Spy quilts, even 2 that live in my house, none have been for me.

When I first saw this tutorial for an ironing board cover, I thought it would look awesome with my I Spy string scraps.   My ironing board cover was super ratty, with a tear in the middle that keeps getting bigger, so the time was definitely right.

I used a total of 42 I Spy strings, though the string on each end is pretty tiny, so it looks more like 40, with a floral I really like as the piece that goes around the edge.  Three dimensional projects are far from my strong suit, so I was concerned about adding the elastic. It is far from perfect, but I'll be pretty much the only one using it and seeing it regularly, so I don't think that matters.

I did have to buy the quilted ironing board fabric and the elastic especially for this project, but everything else came from the scrap bin.  I keep my I Spy scraps separate from my "regular" scraps, so they are ready to be used for special projects.

I was concerned that all the seams would make pressing on this cover difficult, but there is enough cushion in the quilted ironing board fabric that I don't notice the seams.

This was my OMG for March with Heidi at Red Letter Quilts (goal setting post #70).  It was also on my list of Q1 goals for the Finish Along hosted by group of bloggers.  I'm also linking up with Oh Scrap over at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, Scraptastic Tuesday at Mrs Sew & Sow (my first time!), and Julie at The Crafty Quilter's Goodbye UFO extravaganza.