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Sunday, January 10, 2016

Tufting an Old Headboard (Using a Tablecloth)


I've been dreaming of a plush tufted headboard for ages. I have a thrifted wooden headboard that I painted a while back and decided to give it a makeover.

Here's what I started with:


I wanted to make it a little taller, so I could sit up in bed and rest my head comfortably on it. I added 2 inches nailing some scrap 2x4s to the bottom of the legs.


To make a flat surface to rest the foam on, I added some scrap wood where there were indents.

Then I figured out a pattern for the buttons and drilled holes.

Foam is expensive and for a king sized headboard, it was going to be about $100 at Joanns (and this was half off on Black Friday). That wasn't happening. I found a 3" piece of multipurpose foam that was almost the size I needed for $25 at Home Depot. I got two using a $5 off a $50 purchase coupon and then cut the second one to fill in where I needed it to. There is still plenty left over for me to use for a bench project I have coming up.


Then I picked out the tufting holes using my fingers.

I wrapped some quilt batting around the top and stapled it in place.

Then I propped it up using some kid tables and laid my tablecloth on top.

I used a tablecloth because upholstery fabric would have cost about $50 for this size project (eek). I've also heard of people using shower curtains. The tablecloth actually is nice for spot cleaning, but I ran into some problems with the polyester fabric running when I was pushing and pulling a thick needle through it with the cord for tufting. Fortunately, this spot is at the bottom and was mostly tucked under the back when I stapled the final product and it's now covered by pillows.


Anyway, back to the tufting. I used extra fabric from the corners of the tablecloth to cover some buttons using a kit. I started in the middle and worked out to the sides. 
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I was going to use some waxed nylon cording to hold the buttons in place, but I already had some thick ribbon/ trim on hand and decided to use that. I used a long upholstery needle and pushed up through the hole, strung on the button and then pulled the needle back through. Holding the ribbon as tight as I could, I tied a washer in place and then stapled the ends in a W shape to prevent slipping. The washer will help keep the knot from sliding through the hole.

Tufting complete!

Then I needed to staple the fabric to the back. I tried to create a few pleats to control the fabric as I was tightening and stapling.


Here she is all propped up and ready to be moved in place.


I love it! Just what my room needed!

Linking to: Merry Monday #86, Inspire Me Monday 94, 300th Inspire Me Tuesday, Show and Share 296, The Scoop 205, You're Gonna Love It Link Party, FDTR 200, Be Inspired Link Party 192, Upcycled Link Party, Talk of the Town 3,


6 comments:

  1. What a great idea! I love making over thrift store items! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Wow! My daughter was just talking about having an upholstered headboard and this is perfect! I love how you saved money with the foam and the tablecloth. Looks amazing!

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  3. You are so clever! It looks amazing!

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  4. That's such an awesome DIY! Pinned! Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday, hope to see you again next week!

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  5. Genius! What a great idea to use what you had and save money by using a tablecloth! Thanks for linking up on Talk of the Town party!

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  6. Very cool! I've never tufted anything, but you sure make this look easy. Love the results. Thanks for sharing at Talk of the Town.

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