How to Make an Upholstered Screen

Anyone who has ever dealt with the challenge of separating a larger room into several smaller living spaces knows it can be daunting. Without constructing walls you can use a simple interior design element to break up the space.

Consider dividing the room by adding a splash of colorful stripes with an upholstered folding screen. The fabrics can be as formal or as rustic as your taste and décor allow.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 sheet of ½ -inch plywood, 48x96 inches
• 2 sheets of l-inch-thick foam (each sheet 24x72 inches)
• Spray-mount upholstery glue
• 4 ½ yards of fleece
• 5 yards of striped decorator fabric
• 5 yards of contrasting solid fabric for back
• 20 yards of ½ -inch-diameter piping cord
• Matching threads
• 20 yards of l-inch-wide fusible hem tape
• 6 sets of 30-inch piano hinges with screws (length depends on screen height)

1. Using a table saw or portable circular saw, sawhorses, and clamps, cut plywood into four panels 12 inches wide and to a height suitable for your home (72 inches is fine for most rooms with standard ceilings). Sand rough edges .

2. Use a long-bladed, serrated kitchen knife to cut foam on a flat protected surface to the same size as the plywood panels (12 by 72 inches, if you're following this example). Use spray-mount glue to adhere foam to each wood panel.

3. Start at the center bottom of each fabric panel and place the piping cord just to the inside of the marked line. Fold the fabric allowance to give yourself about 2 outside inches over the cord. Stitch the piping into fold. Smooth and pivot fabric at the corners.

4. Center the piped edge of the fabric over the padded wood panel. Smooth and stretch the fabric allowance to the wrong side of the plywood and staple to secure, mitering the extra fabric at the corners. Trim excess fabric.

5. Cut four rectangles of solid-color fabric for the back, each 2 inches longer and wider than the plywood panels in every direction. Use fusible hem tape according to the manufacturer's instructions and apply to the raw edge of the fabric. With a clothes iron, press and miter corners to remove the excess fabric.

6. Use spray-mount glue to adhere solid fabric to the back of the plywood.

7. Carefully align the four fabric-covered panels (you'll probably need a helper). With a drill or screw piano hinges so that the two center panels are hinged on the striped-fabric side. Screw the hinges connecting the outer panels to the center section with the hinges on the solid-fabric side; this will allow the screen to fold accordion-style and stand freely.