Tufted Headboard for Under $200

While the cat's away, the mice will play redecorate. This past weekend was amazingly productive with three days of nothing planned. I honestly can't remember the last time that happened but it was just what I needed to re-discover my creative side. I mainly focused my efforts on our master bedroom and bathroom with a few other projects thrown in there and am quite happy with the results.

The biggest item on my 'to-do' list was recovering our headboard. I bought this large canvas while living in the apartment but was never happy with my first upholstery job. The 'before' fabric was our previous duvet cover and while I loved the pattern, the stretchy fabric and design didn't lend itself well to this use. You can see in the picture below how the pattern wasn't straight and it looked saggy.

If you have a queen, you will want to get a 36" x 72" pre-stretched canvas. These can get really expensive but I found one at my local art store on sale for about $110. I've seen tutorials where people just used a large wooden frame but the actual canvas was a must if you are going to tuft it since you will need a backing for the buttons to hold on to. The other option is to get a piece of plywood cut to this length but I wanted something light that I wouldn't have to anchor into the wall (especially something to consider if you are renting).

I originally went with one layer of batting but decided to add an extra layer to make it softer and let the buttons stand out more. For a queen size you will need about two and a half yards for each layer which will run you around $3 a yard. For the fabric, look for something sturdy that can stand up to being stretched and stapled. Being cost conscious, I went for the sale section and found this lovely blue linen for $4.99 a yard and bought three yards so I'd have extra to make the buttons.

From there you want to staple each layer at a time to the back of the frame with staples about 3" apart making sure you are pulling the fabric tight all the way around. Once the frame was covered, I leaned it against the wall and broke out my large level to mark where I wanted my buttons to go. I decided on a grid pattern so I marked a dot every foot after I had measured 6" in from the edge.

For the button detail, I liked the look of the same fabric so I bought a kit at the fabric store to make my own. This was probably the most tedious part of the whole process but worth it in the end for the look I was going for. The directions on the back are pretty self explanatory but I definitely recommend getting the set with the little tools to make forming the fabric around the shell easier.

Once the buttons were made, I went to town with some needle and thread making sure I pulled the buttons as tight as I could before tying them off on the back side (this is where having the thick canvas as the base really came in handy). I used a basic cotton thread and looped it four times to make it really strong.

Originally I was contemplating using a patterned or brighter fabric but I love the how the blue is subtle next to our white duvet, dark wood, and grey accents.