Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers

Country Sampler Decorating Ideas Quilt-look Applique Headboard


Quick and Easy Upholstered Headboards

It's easy to craft inexpensive headboards from plywood, fiberfill, fabric, and sewing trims. We show you how!


Quilt Look Appliqué (shown above)

Supplies and Tools

  • Full-size arched headboard (see instructions)
  • 3/4 yard of cherry-patterned fabric
  • 3/4 yard of white cotton fabric
  • 1 1/2 yards of striped fabric
  • 1 1/2 yards of yellow and blue check fabric
  • 8 packages of blue Wrights® jumbo rickrack
  • 7 packages of #9 brass upholstery nails
  • Fusible web
  • Sewing machine
  • Paper for pattern
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Iron
Making Headboard
  1. Trace headboard onto paper. Design "quilt" pattern on paper before cutting fabric.

  2. With fusible web, attach a layer of white cotton fabric to back of cherry-patterned fabric. This keeps the striped fabric from showing through. Draw and cut out the diamonds.

  3. Lay fused diamonds on striped fabric; topstitch in place (see larger photo for placement).

  4. Lay fabric, with diamond shapes in place, on top of batting.

  5. Cut lengths of rickrack to overlay lines between diamond shapes. Fix brass nails through rickrack Xs, fabric, and batting into headboard. Begin in center of headboard, pulling rickrack taut as you nail. Secure rickrack between nails with fabric glue, if needed.

  6. Wrap the fabric and rickrack ends to the back of the board and staple in place.

  7. Lay check fabric out, wrong side up. Lay headboard, right side up, on fabric and cut fabric headboard shape plus 3" all around.

  8. To secure top edge of backing, wrap fabric forward to cover the back and board edges, st/hsimagesing in center. Pulling fabric taut and keeping pattern straight, turn edge under and tack in place. Finish sides as above.

  9. To secure bottom edge, st/hsimages at center, turning fabric under 1" and securing with brads every 1 1/2".

Headboard construction photo

Arched Headboard Construction

All of these headboards fit a full-size bed. Enlarge and transfer our pattern to a 4' x 8' sheet of 3/4" plywood. Cut out with a jigsaw. Sand edges with 60-grit sandpaper. Wipe with tack cloth to make sure headboard is free of dust. Cut three pieces of Poly-fil® extra-loft batting large enough to wrap around headboard edges. Wrap batting to back of board and staple in place.

Tufted Chenille Headboard Tufted Chenille

Lay batting-covered headboard on flat work surface. Get a friend's help­you will flip board from side to side as you work. Cut one 54" length of chenille fabric. You will need 3 yards of chenille for headboard. Lay fabric over batting; wrap to back and staple. Mark diamond design with chalk and lay ribbon trim over lines. You will need 20 yards of trim. Tack nickel upholstery nails through ribbon and fabric and into board. Begin at center of headboard, pulling trim as taut as possible to create tufting. Staple ribbon ends to back. For back, cut fabric to shape of headboard plus 1" on all sides. Lay over batting on back of headboard. Beginning at bottom, turn fabric under 1" and tack in place. Next, work from the center of the top and move out to the sides and finish. Pull fabric taut as you nail.

Nail-Head Damask Nail-head Damask Headboard

Top headboard with 1 1/2 yards of light green damask fabric. Center fabric design on front. St/hsimagesing at bottom edge, pull fabric to back and staple. Move to top edge center and staple. Staple sides. Trim excess fabric. For back, cut dark green fabric to shape of headboard plus 3/4" all around. Layer over batting; staple to headboard edges. Trim raw edges. Cut a 2" x 13 1/2' strip of dark green damask. Cut 1"-wide cardboard strips to fit around edge of headboard. Secure strips together. Wrap fabric strip around cardboard; secure with masking tape. Attach welting (you'll need 10 yards) and cardboard strips to side and top edges of headboard with upholstery nails (you'll need 8 boxes of #9H antique upholstery nails) pushed through cardboard and welting edge. Welting lays next to edges of cardboard strips. St/hsimages nailing at lower edge of side; continue over the top, and down other side. If you need longer nails, tack upholstery nail on top. Use chalk to draw your nail-head design on front of headboard, spacing nails 1" ap/hsimages. Tack nails in place.

Floral Stripe Headboard Floral Stripe

Center 1 1/2 yards of striped fabric on top of batting so a narrow blue stripe falls in the center. Wrap and staple to back. Cut two 10" x 54" strips of small print fabric. Press raw edges under to fit within the design of the striped fabric. At the second stripe from center, attach a print strip in the center of the stripe pattern. Staple ends to back of board. Lay ribbon over edges and tack white upholstery nails in place every 3". Repeat on opposite side of center. If using metal hammer, pad nail head so nail does not chip. Cut batting to size and shape of back of headboard. Cut a piece of solid fabric to shape of board plus 1" on all sides. Layer fabric on batting. Turn edges under and tack in place on back. Tack ribbon on side and top edges.

Designer: Heather Hill
Copyright © Sampler Publications, Inc. 1997
Provided by Decorating Ideas magazine.
Reprinted by permission, HouseNet, Inc.

Back to Home Improvement Preview Lawn And Garden Home Decorating Preview Shopping Center