How to Make Yourself an Upholstered Squares Headboard

A staple gun is the biggest tool you'll need to make a headboard of upholstered squares.

Headboards made of upholstered squares are classic yet trendy, so investing a little time and money into making your own will not be wasted. Making your own headboard of this type involves a square base, a little padding, some fabric and not much else. No sewing is required and you may even have all the necessary supplies in your home right now. If you can wrap a gift, you can make this upholstered headboard.

Things You'll Need

• Rolls of polyester quilt batting
• Tape measure or yard stick
• Fabric marking pen or pencil
• 12-by-12 inch squares of 1/4-inch wood, number desired
• Scissors
• Fabric of choice
• Staple gun
• Staples
• Large sawtooth hangers (picture frame hardware) with screws
• Screwdriver
• Flathead nails
• Hammer

Instructions

Cutting

1. Unroll the batting. Measure and mark off as many 14-by-14 inch squares as you'll need to have two or three pieces of batting for each wood square. Whether you use two or three pieces of batting per square is a matter of personal preference.

2. Cut out the 14-by-14 inch squares of batting and set them aside.

3. Unfold your fabric and smooth it out, printed side down. Measure and mark off enough 14-by-14 inch squares to cover the front of each wooden square. Pay attention to any design motifs that you want to center or get any other special placement.

4. Cut out the fabric squares.

Wrapping

1. Position one wooden square in front of you on a flat surface.

2. Place your preferred number of batting layers on top of the wooden square. Hold the batting in place in one corner, then flip the square over so that the batting is under the square. Make sure that the extra inches of the 14-by-14 batting square extend evenly around the edges of the 12-by-12 wooden square.

3. Fold one side of batting over the back of the wooden square and staple it in the center of the batting strip. Smooth the batting and place two more staples on the same strip, one near each edge.

4. Tuck the edges under and pull the next strip of batting over and staple it in the same manner. Continue tucking edges and stapling batting until all four sides are complete. The side of the wooden square with staples is the back side.

5. Wrap and staple the fabric around each square in the same manner as the batting.

Hanging

1. Refer to the fabric design to determine which side of each square is the top.

2. Measure and mark the center of each square at the top of the back side.

3. Position a sawtooth hanger on the center mark of each square. Screw each hanger onto its board with small hardware screws.

4. Determine the placement of the squares on the wall; remember that the hangers will center the upholstered squares.

5. Hammer flathead nails into the wall at the points you determined and position an upholstered square on each nail. Use the sawtooth hangers to balance and adjust the squares as needed.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're hanging squares on an area of drywall that doesn't have studs, use small wall anchors and screws to hang the squares.

• Most lumber stores provide cutting services, eliminating the need for saws or other cutting tools for this project.

• You can use foam core board or heavy-weight cardboard instead of wood. Depending on the thickness, you might be able to finish the edges with duct tape.

• Use caution when operating a staple gun.

References

• All Things Thrifty: Tutorial -- How to Make a Fabric Headboard
• Sawdust and Embryos: Upholstered Headboard Tutorial