By Patrick Avenell

SYDNEY: The winner of Sunbeam’s ironing board cover design competition has spoken about how the tedium of ironing inspired her to create a design to make this laborious household chore more bearable.

Alicia Barnes, who is now working at Abbey Bridal in Sydney, entered the Sunbeam competition whilst studying at the Whitehouse Institute of Design. The competition to design a new ironing board cover for commercial release grew out of the supplier’s desire to introduce more create cover designs to the range.

“I like to think my design would brighten up a task that most people are not in a hurry to do,” said Barnes. “The design is very bright, colourful and from different angles looks quite different.”

Barnes continued to describe the winning pattern, which is called Emerald Feathers.

“The design is young, funky and something that hasn’t been done before for an ironing cover.

“I chose the small birds as this design would create an interesting print that could give off two designs.

“When looking from a distance, the birds just look like a bright mass of colour, but when up close, you realise they are small birds that are placed top to toe with each other,” said Barnes.

The recognition came as a boost for Barnes as she was leaving study to enter the workforce.

“Finding out that I had one was a surprise, and a great way to finish off my years of studying at Whitehouse.

“We had not long handed in our final collections when I found out, so it was a great way to finish off a very stressful final year of study,” said Barnes.

The Emerald Feathers ironing board (SB4100B, RRP $69.95) is part of Sunbeam’s overall Christmas campaign and will be available from 15 August 2008.