I belong to a few quilting groups online, and a little over a year ago I started seeing a lot of buzz about wool pressing mats.  It seemed Most who used them loved them, or so it seemed.  So I checked them out online.  I found that some of them were not so likable, and the ones that were seemed to be quite expensive.  I get it.  You get what you pay for.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am not a person who spends money easily.  I have to be convinced that something is worth the price, not to mention that for a couple of years now, I have been on a mission to simplify my life, which included the amount of “stuff” I have to steward.  I tend to be sentimental, and I have things of my grandmother’s and my mother’s that probably should go, but I have trouble parting with.

Back to the wool pressing pad…  Recently on a Facebook post about the mats, someone commented that they were using an old wool blanket, folded, and that it worked great.  Hmmm.  I happen to have my grandmother’s favorite wool blanket in my possession, and I have started to get rid of it many times, and then could not.  It is lavender and natural gingham plaid, and I always thought I could make something out of it.  (Moth holes and all…  My grandmother has been gone for over 40 years!  In my defense, my mother had the blanket for most of those years.)

Needless to say, out came THE blanket, and onto the ironing board it went, folded into a few layers.  And as other quilters are saying, I love it!  I rarely have to use spray anymore.  The cotton setting on my quilt squares gives me a nice crisp press using the wool.

Next on my wish list?   A big board for my ironing board.  And when that happens, the wool blanket will cover the entire thing!  Also, I was able to buy a wool blanket at a thrift store for cheap, which I plan on cutting up and making a travel size mat from.  I may even try to needle felt it to hold the layers together.  But that is for another day…  Today I am assembling blocks on the Frolic Mystery by Bonnie Hunter, and pressing those seams well on my wool “pressing mat”!

What will you create to make your life easier today?