6.17.2008

diy: upholstered headboard

Someday we'll find the luxurious antique wooden bed of our dreams, but for now, I'm getting pretty fed up of cozying into a bare wall at night. So last weekend, I finally set out to make some sort of make-shift headboard...{To make the waiting & dreaming a little more tolerable.} Upholstered headboards are so trendy right now. And the best part is that you can make your own in less than an hour for less than $50!!
1. Shop for Supplies:
*large slab of particle board (mine is 50" x 60", perfect for our queen sized bed. particle board can be purchased from a local hardware store or lumberyard.)
* quilt batting (use as many or as few rolls as you'd like to achieve your desired puffiness)
*staple gun
*upholstery fabric of your choice (I used exactly 2 yards of a golden yellow twill)
*measuring tape
*drill
*covered button kit
*fabric scissors
2. Cover
Begin by covering the face of your board with quilt batting. Staple secure. Next cover with upholstery fabric to suit your fancy bedding & staple secure once again. For best results, pull fabric taught 1 side at a time & staple while board is vertical. If you try to stretch fabric while board is face down on floor, you're apt to get wrinkles.
3. Plan where you'd like to secure your buttons. Measure & dot back of board before drilling. I choose to use just 2 rows of buttons on the top 1/3 of project, a the rest are lost below the mattress line.
4. Drill
Implore the handy man in your life to do the dirty work of drilling. If you don't have sawhorses, prop board up off of floor with old college textbooks to avoid drilling through your beautiful hardwood floors. Drill one large hole and one tiny hole within 1 cm of each other at button sites. (See below.)
5. Make buttons!
While the handy man is measuring & drilling, use a button covering kit to create upholstered buttons out of fabric remnants.
6. Sew buttons
To finish your headboard, add buttons to create a tufted look. Sew buttons through particle board & fabric using a long, thick upholstery needle. Push thread through small hole from behind, attach button to front and pull thread back through large hole. You'll quickly be thankful for drilling that larger hole, as the blind push from front to back can be a bit tricky.
7. Voila! Enjoy sweet dreams 'neath your handmade headboard.

13 comments:

have a lovely said...

you are fabulous!! I just made it back into town after 3 weeks with family on vacation {I hope you have so much fun on yours} and am tidying up and unpacking boxes. My plan for the guest room all along has been to have an upholstered headboard with our monogram...I just haven't taken the time yet to research how the how-to will go. Thank you so much for making it look do-able AND for pics along the way!!! I am anxious to get started now!!

have a lovely said...

quick ?...how many rolls of batting did you use to get your puffiness?

amber {daisy chain} said...

this is fabulous! I've been wanting an upholstered bed and this might just be the way to go - great work!

Cottage Mommy said...

Love, love, love your bedding! Where is it from if you don't mind my asking? Great job on the headboard as well....looks expensive and store bought!

Katie {My Paisley Apron} said...

Oh wow. That's a major crafty project! Staple gun and drill?? I hope your brothers are impressed!!

Nicole Marie said...

my friend made me a headboard too! It's so easy! The only problem is I havnt figured out how to hang it on the wall or make legs for it. That's my to-do project this weekend

bethany said...

Very, very cute. I had been dreaming of doing this for a while but thought it might be more than I could chew...but not I'm not so intimidated!

Hope vacation is lovely!

On Second Street said...

lovely!

alyssa said...

This is awesome! Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

ditto on your bedding...would love to know where you purchased it! Or what the fabric is?

beachy in the burbs said...

I love this and it looks so pretty! Thanks for sharing the pic's!

Blog Name Here said...

I love the pillow shams! - where did you find them!?!

Lisa said...
This comment has been removed by the author.