Archive for October, 2009

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Do-It-Yourself Tufted Headboard

October 30th, 2009

headboard_11Tufting is traditionally a skill that requires the use of very long and strong needles, each of them passing through the entire thickness of a mattress with each stitch secures tufts on both surfaces that creates an even filling and in place throughout the life of the mattress. In the process the fillings are secured to the interior springs, thus guaranteeing minimum wear and maximum durability. Originally used on bedspreads and mattresses, tufting has been adapted to other furniture as well particularly headboards.

Tufting headboards is a do-it-yourself project that anyone can basically do which adds style, elegance and personality to your headboard while providing a padded protected surface. This project can take approximately half a day and total cost of materials ranging from about $50 to $100. You can create your own tufted headboard by using your old wooden headboard provided that you drill one or two holes reserved for tufting. To start off, you need to choose and purchase the fabric, batting and buttons to be used for tufting. Remember that the fabric must be strong to stand up to wear without compromising design and that you would use approximately 3 to 4 bags of batting to make a soft headboard. Cover the headboard with ample layers of batting, extending the material about 1 foot over the edge. Staple the batting to the wood with a staple gun and trim the edges to about 4 inches. Drape the headboard with your chosen fabric while tucking the edges and then turn the headboard with the front facing down. Trim the material so that it wraps all of the batting – making the latter invisible – pulling it tight while stapling it to the wood. Use a needle with a fishing line or a heavy thread, running the needle through a large button, pushing it from the back to the front of the hole pulling it tight.

To create a tufted look, you will need to thread the needle back through the same hole. Fix a nail across the back and loop the thread on this nail before going back through the same hole again. You need to repeat this step several times as you desire and then tie off the thread to the nail. To pull the button down into the fabric, twist the nail to draw it to your desired depth. One tip to give a cleaner finish is to glue some of the fabric onto the button so that it will match the headboard.

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Posted in DIY, tufted headboard

Make Your Own Tufted Headboard

October 30th, 2009

headboard_07Making your own tufted headboard is not complicated at all. However you need to have some needlework skills of sorts and some patience when creating one. Here are some simple instructions that you can follow to create your very own tufted headboard.

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the plywood, cutting it to your desired shape and size dependent on the size of the bed.

Step 2: Drill small holes that would be big enough where the tufts would be to allow upholstery needle to go through and not making them bigger than the size of the plain buttons that will be used to hold the tufts at the back. But before doing so, you must ascertain the spacing and placement of each tuft.

Step 3:  Glue the foam to wood using adhesive spray and trim the excess foam.

Step 4:  Batting should be placed on top of the foam, stapling them to the back of the wood with an edge of about 2 inches from the edge.

Step 5:  The outer fabric or cover should be placed on top of the batting, stapled to the back of the plywood. Start stapling in the top middle, bottom middle, right middle and then left middle before continuing the edge. Fold and staple the corners and trim excess fabric.

Step 6:  Using an upholstery needle, you will need to stitch through the holes and going through the covered button before going back to the back. Thread through a hole in a plain button and pull tightly to create the tuft. Repeat the same step until you finish all tufts.

Materials needed are:
• Plywood (1/2-inch thick) – Width dependent on the bed size
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Electric drill
• Spray adhesive
• Foam padding (3-inch thickness)
• Electric knife
• Quilt batting
• Staple gun and staples
• Decorative fabric
• Upholstery thread
• Upholstery needle
• Covered buttons
• Plain buttons
• Scissors

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Posted in DIY

Where To Buy Tufted Headboard

October 28th, 2009

headboard_05Tufted headboards have found their way back in the current interior design trends. There are several brands and makes using a variety of materials are available in the market. Prices of these headboards can range from US$250 to as much as US$5,750.00. Williams Sonoma Home offers their top of the line tufted headboard at US$5,750.00 with their Green Collection. This line of headboards boasts of great eco-friendly design. The tufting are handmade built with premium padding over a kiln-dried hardwood frame. The price may be a bit excessive but it only represents the high-grade quality of materials used. Materials like silk and leather on headboards are also available and price ranges from approximately US$1,800 to US$3,500. There are more economically priced tufted headboards with price ranges from US$250 onwards. These can be made of canvas, faux silk, vinyl or leatherette with a variety of prints and patterns. They are also available in a wide array of colours. However, if you prefer a particular colour or pattern, you can opt for customization. Most of the tufted headboards are hand crafted. Just the same, these products will definitely last since the headboard is the part of the bed that will suffer very minimal wear and tear. With the price ranges of these boards compared to making it yourself, it might be worth trying to complete a home project of your very own tufted headboard.

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Posted in fabric, headboard, price

How To Clean Your Tufted Headboard

October 20th, 2009

headboard_02Tufted headboards were quite popular in the seventies and eighties, and as expected in the fashion world, found its way back in year 2000. Designers nowadays have taken a lot of interest in these headboards, creating their own distinctive look to their client’s desire using materials that they see fit which may have solids or patterns, may be made of velvet or silk. One of the challenges of maintaining a stylish bedroom is keeping everything the headboard tidy. Cleaning your tufted headboard mainly depends on the material used. If you have a leather tufted headboard, you first need to determine the finish of the leather before proceeding with cleaning. If you have finished leather, you need to put a small amount of moisturizing soap on a damp cloth. Bring this to lather before rubbing on to the leather without using too much water. Wipe away the lather with a fresh damp cloth and then polish with a dry towel. Treat the leather with conditioner. If your leather is unfinished, you will need to use damp cloth or sponge to rub saddle soap onto the leather. Wipe away the lather and allow to air dry. Oil the leather with preservative to keep the quality of the leather. If you use fabric like canvas, there are a lot of spray-on cleaners available in the market. Otherwise, an option would be to use a dry cleaning agent and brush. On top of that, a vacuum will be handy to take out all dusts and cleaning residues.

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Posted in headboard, old fashioned

Choosing The Right Headboard

October 12th, 2009

headboard_03There are a variety of designs of headboard available in the market depending on design and material that would suit your requirements. You have the option of buying ready-made, getting customized or even making it yourself. If you choose to buy a ready-made headboard, there are some factors that you might want to consider before deciding.

One factor to consider is the size of the headboard. They are available in all sizes from king, queen, twin and full. Headboards may come in a variety of shapes and sizes. If you don’t fancy a unique piece, you can actually choose from the upholstered variety available in the market and you may even opt for leather padded headboards but this will all depend on the total look of your bedroom. Colour combination and patterns needs to be thought out. It is believed that solid colours on your duvet and the rest of the room will go well with tufts. Circular patterns also go well with them and that stripes do not go very well with them. You need to select complimenting colours as well as the pattern to blend with your tufts.

One thing that you should always remember is that a person spends long hours in the bedroom than in any other place in the house. Finally, make sure that it would have a relaxing and de-stressing effect on you to ensure that you get the rest that you deserve after a long day of work.

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Posted in headboard, types