How to Make an Upholstered Bed Headboard

By upholstering an old headboard you will be able to conceal flaws or imperfections in the existing headboard as well as create a new look. Through these instructions you will be able to create a headboard that fits your bedroom decor and vision while saving money. This project allows you to bring new life to an old headboard by building a custom piece.

Things You'll Need

• Headboard to be covered (or materials to build your own frame)
• Fabric to cover the headboard
• Fabric for creating a pattern (any fabric will do- this fabric is meant to be experimented with and should not be expensive)
• Batting to line the headboard
• Spray adhesive
• Sewing machine
• Scissors
• Heavy duty stapler

Instructions

Preparing the Headboard for Upholstery

1. After you have created your own headboard or have chosen one to be covered, measure the dimensions for cutting the fabric. For these instructions it will be assumed that the headboard has straight edges and is a rectangle.

2. With the pattern fabric begin marking and cutting. You should have essentially six pattern pieces including:
   Front piece-large rectangle
   Edge pieces-two side pieces that should be the same size (right and left side), two pieces for the top and bottom
   Back piece-large rectangle, the same size as the front piece

   As you are cutting your pattern pieces make sure to leave 1 to 2 inches extra on each side for sewing.
   Check the size of your pieces by remeasuring or holding the pieces up to the headboard to check for size.

3. Once you feel confident in your pattern pieces begin cutting the batting and fabric to size. The batting should be cut to the exact size of the headboard; the fabric will need 1 to 2 inches of extra fabric on each side for sewing.
   The batting will create a small cushion over the entire headboard, this helps to create depth to the fabric and cover up imperfections in the headboard underneath.

Begin Sewing

1. Thread your needle and bobbin with coordinating thread. Place the large front rectangle right side up on your work surface. Place the top edge rectangle along the long edge of the large rectangle, right side down. Pin the pieces together and sew a straight line about a 1/4-inch from the cut edges. Keep in mind how much slack you allowed so that your end product will fit.

2. Next, on the same rectangle sew the short side pieces in the same fashion, right sides facing. For the bottom long piece make sure to leave enough space un-sewn to allow for the legs of the headboard. If you are hanging your headboard on the wall and it does not have legs just sew it all the way across. The corners of the edge pieces should not be sewn together.

3. Now place the other large rectangle on top of your sewn pieces right side down with the top and bottom pieces aligned. Take the top edge rectangle and align with the top of the back large rectangle and sew a straight line (again, the corners of the edge pieces are not sewn yet). Repeat with the right and left side but leave the bottom edge un-sewn.

4. Check for fit on the headboard (the fabric should be right side out). The fabric should be snug but not puckering. If the fabric does not look smooth check your stitches to see if they are straight lines. If they are not, pull the stitches and re-sew. Once the fit is satisfactory, turn the fabric inside out and pin the top corners for sewing. Sew the corners. Re-check for fit on the headboard.

Final Assembly

1. With the batting pieces begin attaching them to the headboard with the spray adhesive. Follow the adhesive instructions on application, dry time, and work space requirements.

2. Once the batting is adhered and the fabric is satisfactorily sewn, place the fabric right side out on to the head board. Where the legs of the headboard are, cut with at least 1/2-inch of slack, near the legs of the headboard and fold the edges under.

3. Then, pull the un-sewn end up and under the large rectangle and staple in place. Make sure your seams stay straight. Also, on the outside edge of the legs fold the ends under.

4. With only the back bottom seam of the fabric now loose, fold the edge under and begin stapling in a uniform fashion across the bottom to hold in place. Since this side will be against the wall you can use staples. If you want the back to look more finished you can use the spray adhesive or decorative tacks.

Tips & Warnings

• To help with understanding sewing construction, visualize the edges of your headboard and cutting a piece of fabric to cover only that area. Then visualize all the edges covered and how they fit together. When sewing everything is backwards; for example, when you turn a pillowcase inside out, the right side of the fabric is facing inward. Thus, when you are sewing you are working inside out. If you do not own a sewing machine or do not want to sew, you can use the same technique above with an iron on adhesive in place of sewing or by simply stapling the fabric to the headboard. Fabric store clerks can be very helpful in helping to decide how much fabric is needed for a project. Have the dimensions of your project on hand and an example of what you would like you final project to look like.

• Always follow the manufactures guidelines for using spray adhesive, heavy duty staplers, and sewing machines.