DIY Ruffled Fabric Headboard

February 19, 2016
Our step-by-step instructions show you how easy it is to make this sweetly ruffled DIY headboard. And the best part: this handmade headboard requires no sewing!
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DIY Ruffled Headboard

Add a feminine touch to your bedroom with this sweetly ruffled headboard. Pick a fabric that suits your bedroom's style and start ruffling. 

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What You'll Need

1/4-inch plywood cut to desired size of headboard (Ours is 54x40 inches.)

1x4s cut to create a frame for the plywood

Screws

Drill

6 yards 44-45-inch fabric (for ruffles)

Spray adhesive suitable for upholstery

Quilt batting cut to the size of your plywood, plus 6 inches on all sides

3 yards 44-45-inch fabric or 2 yards 54-inch fabric (to cover headboard)

Staple gun

Straight pins

Hot-glue gun and glue sticks

French cleats 

Straight-sided purchased skirt + additional fabric (for the matching bed skirt, optional)

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Steps 1 and 2

Step 1:

Secure the plywood to the 1x4 frame using screws so a 1-inch edge of each board touches the plywood. 

Step 2:

Tear the fabric for ruffles into nine 6×108-inch strips and one 4x108-inch strip (pictured). (Cut about an inch for each strip, then rip the fabric the rest of the way.)

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Step 3

Spray the front of the plywood with spray adhesive and secure the batting in place, wrapping it around the sides. Staple it to the back of the frame (pictured).

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Step 4

Cover the batting with the headboard fabric. Wrap it around the sides, pulling tightly and stapling in place on the back of the frame (pictured). If you use 44-45-inch fabric as we did, you may have to cut and join two pieces to make the fabric wide enough.

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Step 5

Lay one strip of fabric along the bottom of the headboard and fold one ruffle about 3 inches wide. 

(Step 5 is continued on the next slide.)

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Step 5, continued and Step 6

Step 5 (continued):

We made 18 ruffles to cover our headboard, pinning in place. When satisfied with the fit, staple along the top edge and remove pins. 

Step 6

Place subsequent rows of ruffles to cover about 2 inches of the top of the previous row to hide the staples. Repeat Step 5 with the remaining eight 6-inch strips. Fray the exposed edges of the ruffles if desired.

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Step 7

Use the 4-inch strip for the final ruffle row. Fold the top raw edge under for a finished look (pictured).

(Step 7 is continued on the next slide.)

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Step 7, continued

Repeat Step 5 to make the ruffles, except use hot glue under the top edge of each ruffle fold for a clean edge (pictured).

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Step 8

To hang, use French-cleat-style brackets and appropriate screws for your walls (not pictured).

Optional: To make the bed skirt, use the same ruffling method as for the headboard, only pin and sew each strip of ruffles in place onto a straight-sided purchased skirt (pictured). 

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