DIY Headboard How-To

Today I can finally show you the completed DIY headboard, and how she came to be.  Big day.  I’ll cut right to the chase with a tutorial for any of you who are feeling inspired and ready to tackle a project.

Materials & Budget Breakdown:

2 yards of fabric - $50.00

Batting (we got enough for a king size quilt) - $28.99

Plywood (we got a 4x8 sheet of ¾” thick Cat Sheathing Fir) - $29.37

Hanging Kit - $3.99

Staple Gun & Staples (already owned) - $0.00

Construction Paper & Pencil (already owned) - $0.00

Measuring Tape (already owned) - $0.00

X-Acto Knife (or scissors) (already owned) - $0.00

Scotch Tape (already owned) - $0.00

Jig Saw (already owned) - $0.00

Sand Paper (already owned) $0.00

Total Cost: $112.35

The fabric arrived last week and I was SO excited to get this done, but we had to wait until the next weekend because we were going out of town.  So when this past Friday rolled around, John and I couldn’t wait to get the rest of our supplies.  Yep -  we had our little wine date, watched the sun set and then headed over to Home Depot for standard Friday night fun.  #nerdalert.  

We at least had the patience to wait until Saturday morning to put it all together.  But trust me, the second I popped up out of bed Saturday morning, I was begging John to get up so that we could get ‘er done.  And so we did.

First, I created a template out of the construction paper.  We have a queen bed, which is 60” wide (this is a standard measurement), so I cut the construction paper to 64” to leave 2” on either side of the bed.  Then I just made a few measurements – the center mark (at 32”), and then the ¼ marks (at 16” from either side).  From the top, I measured 6” down on one side so that I could create a slight curve for the top of the headboard.  I made that mark on the side end of the template.  From there, I made even marks between the end and the center marks, steadily going up from 6” at the side end, to ½” at the center.  The picture should help show this.  Once I had my measurements marked, I took a red pencil and sketched in the curved shape, following the various heights that I had noted. 

Next, I took my X-Acto knife and cut out the curve on my construction paper template.  I taped it onto the piece of wood so that it wouldn’t blow away in the wind.  Cutting the template out really wasn’t necessary, so this step can definitely be skipped. 

We don’t have a proper work bench, so John put the piece of wood on top of the patio table.  To keep it sturdy while he cut, I stood on top of it…. Nothing wrong with using what you’ve got – in this case, my body weight.  When we were at Home Depot we had them cut the wood down to the right size so that all we would have to do at home was cut out the shape for the top of the headboard.  I don't know why I have never seen this machine before - but it is AWESOME.  Everyone should have one in their home.  Ok, that's extreme.  Everyone should go to Home Depot and have them cut your wood with their awesome machine.  

The piece of wood came standard in 4' x 8', so we had it cut down to 64” wide (a standard queen bed is 60” and we wanted an extra 2” on each side) x 40” height.  The height is really just preference – we wanted the headboard to be a focal point, so we chose to make it pretty big.  I also knew that I was going to be cutting off at least 6” for the curved shape, so I factored that in.

So with me standing on top of the wood, on top of the table, John got to cutting!  He used the jig saw and followed my template, ever so steadily.  I was happy to give this job up to him – some day I will get better with the power tools, but this just wasn’t that day. 

He cut out over template to the center point, and then we flipped the template over so that it was exactly symmetrical to the other side.  

 Then, voila!

John sanded down the top a bit so that it was smooth and even, but if you don’t have a sander, it’s not entirely necessary because it will be covered with batting and fabric anyways. 

Onto the fluff!  I laid the batting down and layered it evenly – I ended up with about three layers.  If I were to do it again, I would have done more batting so that it would be a little cushier.  I’ve also seen it done with a piece of soft foam, glued to the headboard, with the batting wrapped around that.  Anyways – batting in place, I laid the cut headboard on top of it and started stapling it in with the staple gun.  I started with one side, then pulled the opposite side very taut.  I went back and forth between these sides, making sure it was taut and even.  Then I did the bottom and top – making note of the corners and curves of the top. 

There was some extra batting around the back, so I just trimmed it down with scissors.  The front looked like this…

Next, I laid the fabric down on the floor, print side down, paying special attention to wrinkles and the lines of the print.  With a lot of fabrics, you will want to iron the entire piece before this step.  I just ironed the ends – the rest of it was already perfectly smooth.  With the fabric flat on the ground, I laid the board on top of it.  I straightened it out and made sure that the bottom of the headboard lined up with the fabric.  This was particularly important with this fabric, because it has horizontal stripes.  While the stripes have a slight wave to them, and are by no means perfectly even, I still wanted to make sure they were generally horizontal, rather than diagonal across the headboard.  But, whatever floats your boat.

From there, I followed the same process I did with the batting – staple it in on one side – I did a staple on either end, and the center.  Then I went to the opposite side and pulled the fabric really taut and did the same thing – a staple on either end, and in the center.  Then, continually pulling the fabric taut, I continued to fill in the space with staples. 

Then came the corners.  I think the pictures will do the best job explaining how to make these look nice and crisp…

Then, same step with the bottom and top.  Initially, I was a little worried about stapling the fabric into the curved top – I thought it might look wrinkled – but that was not the case.  I stapled it in the same way I did with the straight edges – just pulling the fabric taut and spreading the staples out evenly – ends to center, then filling in the middle spaces.  

The back ended up looking like this…

Then came time to hang her up.  We got a hanging kit that has a 50lb capacity… don’t worry, the headboard is way less than 50lbs.  We measured 16” in and 6”down from either side of the headboard and screwed in the hanging gear. 

Then we took our measurements for the wall and hammered in the counterpart. 

Then we hung her up and ooohed and awwwed like proud parents. 

Here is a before and after…

The wall was inexcusably bare before, so really anything on the wall would have helped.  But I think this pretty headboard just makes it work.  I might put up some hanging shelves that I had above our bed in our old house – but since we are only going to be here for another few months, I might spare the wall those extra holes.  Nothing to do with me being lazy :)  

For just over $100.00, this project makes a BIG difference.  I am pleased – especially considering good upholstered headboards average about $500.00.  We spent way less than that, and were able to customize it with the exact fabric and shape we wanted.  Plus, we win the sense of accomplishment that we never would have gotten from clicking “buy” online at West Elm.  Pat on the back, Suite D. 

Now I’m wondering what’s next!  There is plenty on our to-do list.  I’m thinking about hacking the IKEA dresser and turning it into something totally amaze-balls.  Stay tuned. 

xxx

Sneak Peak

Guess what just arrived!

The DIY Headboard fabric is here at last (and even more beautiful in person), so I oficially can no longer procrastinate on this project.... until next weekend.  Yep - that's what they all say, right?  Really, I do wish I could tackle this right this minute, but we are headed up to the mountains for a mini ski/snowboard trip within the hour.  So expect to see the progress and (hopefully) the completed DIY headboard and tutorial after next weekend!

P.S. I spy another project - looks like the gap between the wall and cupboard in the background needs a bit of caulk... added to the list.

xxx

Headboard Fabric

Over three months since my last post… but alas, here I am.  Don’t worry, I’m not considering a career in blogging at this point… still working my way towards interior design. 

My to-do list is still fully in tact, staring me down… but I am a step closer to checking off a big one – DIYing a headboard.  Something that I hope will turn out looking like one of these...

I searched this weekend at a few different fabric stores to see if I could find any amazing deals.  No luck there, so I stuck to the fabric I originally fell in love with online.  Bonus – it was half off thanks to a Presidents Day sale!  I ordered it from Joanne’s, which always has coupons online, so I got free shipping on top of my discount.  Score.

Here she is... 

In my initial search, I wanted blue tones and some sort of pattern… but really nothing specific other than that.  I ended up with this fabric because it sang the loudest to me; every time I continued my search my heart went back to her… and the heart always wins.  You can find it here.  

These were the runners-up… all lovely, but in the end not meant for this headboard. 

I’m excited for the fabric to arrive so that I can finally complete this project!  This blog may not hear about it for another three months, but I promise it will get done, and eventually I will share about the process - wish me luck!

xxx

Reupholstering a Chair in 10 Steps

My absence goes to show how crazy life has been - balancing work and school and living my life is a a work in progress and I'm figuring it out day-by-day.  I have a feeling I'll get the hang of it next summer, when classes are over... but then there will be a new obstacle to tackle, I'm sure!  Craziness aside, my big list of projects is still staring me down, so the time has come to get going with it.

Today I helped reupholster my very first piece of furniture!  Helping my mom reupholster her dining room chairs was on the large to-do list… so that is just what we did. 

The cream color on these chairs was not cutting it anymore.  Cream chairs in a dining room = big mess waiting to happen.  So my mom wanted to bring in more of the blue and gold that is in the connected living room to help merge the rooms together a bit.  She had this fabric on hand so it was $FREE.99  Gotta love leftovers!

This is her process for recovering chairs and it seemed to work like a charm!

1. Iron the fabric

2. Remove the cushion from the chair frame (these chairs were screwed in, so we flipped the chair on it’s side and unscrewed the cushion from the bottom.

3. Lay the fabric out on a flat surface – check to make sure the pattern is where you want it to be on the chair (be extra careful with stripes and lines)

4. Pull the fabric over the cushion very tightly on one side, and begin to staple.  My mom puts one staple in the center, then two on each side to begin. 

5. On the opposite side of the chair, pull the fabric so it is as taut as possible, then staple in three times. 

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 on the other sides of the chair

 ** If you want a cleaner look under the chair, you can fold the fabric over itself.  This isn’t necessary, because no one ever sees this – but it’s good for those perfectionists out there!

7. Fill in the staples throughout the sides of the chair so that the fabric is tight and secured.  We had about 15 per side on these chairs.

8. The cushion should look almost complete if you flip it over, with the exception of the corners.  

Keeping the cushion upside-down, pull the fabric from both sides of the corner and fold over the ends.  Then, neatly fold them on top of each other, so that there is a nice line in the center of the corner.  If you prefer, you can do two lines on either side of the corner – it is just a matter of changing the way you pull the fabric.  Staple it in tightly! 

9. Flip your cushion right-side-up and place it on the chair frame, still tilted on it’s side – screw it back in from the underside.

10. Admire your work and take a seat!

I think I’m ready to do a headboard now – so stay tuned, this will probably be my next project!

xxx

Drafting Central

There’s a new addition to Suite D and this lady is very excited about it! 

Ta-da… my very own, new2me drafting table!

I found this bad boy on Craigslist for $70.00 – which really is a steal – these can sell for hundreds, and mine is in great condition.  It came with a Vyco board and parallel bar already installed, which saved me lots of hassle and extra pennies. 

Another great thing is that it folds up into practically nothing.  It just collapses down and can flush right up against a wall if I ever want to hide or store it.  But let’s face it… at this point, I’m going to have a hard time pulling myself away from it, so hiding it is just unspeakable. 

I got it from a former interior design student, which I like – I feel like there is a Karate Kid bond happening… maybe some day I’ll pass this lovely thing on to a new interior design student, and with it, my wealth of knowledge.  And when that happens, let’s hope that I am replacing it with one of these …

A girl can dream. 

xxx