How often do we have something lying around the house that
we want to use but simply doesn’t fit in with our current décor?Well this was
my problem exactly, I really wanted a headboard for my room although could not
bring myself to splash the cash for a new one when I already had a perfectly good, albeit old, one in the house. As it was quite old it definitely needed a face lift to
be brought up with the times and match my freshly painted room.
At this stage I had two options, the first one being to dismantle it
completely by removing the buttons, fabric and batting/sponge, keep the existing frame and work from there OR keep it as is and simply create a new cover for it. Considering it was in relatively good condition I decided to go with the second, and more simple, version of creating a new cover.
And so we begin...
* Just before we do, as this had been lying around the house for a
while it had inevitably gathered dust so I took it outside to beat excess dust of it as well as giving it a going over with the hoover.
Supplies you will need;
- Old headboard
- Fabric of choice
- Buttons
- Scissors
- Staple gun & staples
Before
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Step 1 - Measuring out the material
As I wanted to do this without incurring too much expense I
chose to use two spare pillowcases that I had from Penneys (which cost about 3 quid for the pair). In order to use them for this, I cut them to
open and joint them to make one large piece to cover the board. For this you can use
any spare pieces of fabric you already have, such as curtains, cushion covers, t shirts or you can opt to buy some
material to match your room!
The amount required will depend on the size of your headboard and the number of tufts. When measuring ensure you have enough material to cover the entire headboard, make
allowances for the tufts as this will require extra fabric. Also ensure you
have enough to reach behind the board so you can staple it and it is secure.
In order to estimate whether you have enough before you begin lay the fabric on the board and place your finger where the existing tufts are to make dents. This will guide you in each of the tufts to give a estimate also add a slight bit
extra for a just in case.
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| Lay the fabric over the headboard |
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| Roughly mark out the tufts |
Step 2 - Secure the tufts
Place your finger on each of the buttons that are already
there to create the tuft, I found working from the center and moving outwards
was the easiest method. Take your gun and staple the fabric into the
sponge.
You will not be able to staple directly into the button as the surface will be
too hard so aim the staple to as close as you can beside it into the softer
area. These staples will be covered up later on when we add new buttons.
Step 3 - Tidying the edges
Once you have all the tufts located and stapled,
its time to clean up the edges. For this you simply flip the headboard over and
begin stapling down the excess fabric. Aim to hold it taught so that it is not
loose so that you can achieve the quilted look and it is not loose at the
front. Be aware when pulling the material over to the back some staples may
become loose so keep a check on these.
Trim any excess and loose ends so it is neat.
Step 4- The finishing touch
Select buttons of choice and simply glue them on top of the existing ones. Make sure they are small enough to fit in and big enough to
cover the staple from step 2. For this you can use cover buttons to match the main fabric, different colours for a rainbow effect it's up to you! I decided to go with small gold detailed buttons as I had them in the house and I think the contrast quite nicely with the white background.
After
There you have it, 4 simple steps to creating a headboard
that matches your room for little or no cost!
Until next time,
Sarah
