Bedroom Fabric bedhead CRAFTY PROJECT DIY>$310 Standard beds HAVE IT MADE FOR $550 SKILL>123456789 TIME>3 HOURS A bedhead adds focus and colour to a bedroom. This one is made in four sections with fabric over foam and particleboard backing, secured with staples and buttons. Adjust the size of the backing to suit the width of the bed then have the supplier cut the particleboard into four panels. The board was cut into 750 x 500mm panels for this project, to suit a queen-sized bed. For a similar 100% cotton fabric, try Starburst Chartreuse from Duck Cloth (www.duckcloth.com.au), costing $23m2. Use patterned fabric to make a padded headboard EDITED BY FRANK GARDNER HOW TO Headboards should be the width of the mattress, while readymade bed frames are slightly bigger. SINGLE Suited to young children, 1900 x 915mm. KING SINGLE For pre-teens, slightly longer and wider than a single, 2030 x 1055mm. DOUBLE Good for teenagers, Fasteners If you can’t locate studs, use hollow wall anchors. For each panel, drill holes in plywood or hardboard then drive screws into the anchors, leaving heads jutting out slightly to hang the keyhole brackets (attached to the bedhead panels). without taking up too much floor space, 1900 x 1385mm. QUEEN For adults, the most popular bed size, 2030 x 1525mm. KING Suitable for adults and favoured in hotels for comfort, 2030 x 1835mm. Cutting list (measurements in mm) PART SIZE PARTICLEBOARD Backing boards 750 x 500 FOAM Foam filler 750 x 500 FABRIC Patterned fabric 900 x 650 NO. 4 4 4 Visit www.handyman.net.au for tools, materials and costs. Build the headboard FOAM 1 Constructing the bedhead in panels makes it easier to upholster and lighter to hang. 70 JULY/AUGUST 2008 Handyman PROJECT AUSTRAL Make the panels On each backing board, draw a centre-line along the length, marking 250mm from each side to drill 8mm-diameter holes for buttons. Place fabric face down, centring the foam and backing board on top. Stretch the fabric over the edge of the board to form a curved edge, and staple. Repeat for each side then fold corners under, pulling the fabric tight, and staple. 2 Make and attach buttons Cut eight circles from leftover fabric, about 20mm larger in diameter than the upholstery buttons. Gather the edge of the fabric circle with a needle and thread, place the button in the centre, pulling the thread tight to tie it off. Spread the pleats evenly before pressing in the backing. 3 Mount the headboard Attach the buttons by stitching through the holes in the backing boards, pulling the thread tight and tying off through the hole. Mount the boards onto the wall using keyhole brackets and 45mm x 8g screws fixed either into wall studs or wall anchors. Handyman JULY/AUGUST 2008 71