DIY Tufted Button Headboard

Simple button-tufted headboard.

Want to make your own button-tufted headboard? It's not hard, and you can save a ton of $$! The one above can be made for about $100 if you're willing to use coupons and be creative with the tools you own or borrow. My total costs were $60 for materials. It could easily be done in a weekend.  
 Note: it took me a week because I did the tufting in between grading finals. The creative /manual work was a perfect counterpart to all the reading/thinking work of grading.

Why a new headboard?
In July 2013, we moved 550 miles for my new job. It didn't make sense to pay to move one less-than-comfortable 9-year-old King-sized bed all that way, so we sold it and bought two new, smaller mattresses when we arrived in our new apartment. (A queen size for the master and a double for the guest room/office.) I loved the comfortable new mattresses, but really missed having a headboard. I'm a sucker for ANYTHING button-tufted (oooh....) so I was dying to buy this gorgeous, queen-sized multi-colored, button-tufted bed from World Market. The bright pops of color seemed cheerful and sassy--perfect for our cozy master bedroom. My partner, however, was appalled by the price ($600+)  and asked me, "Can't you just make something like that?"

And I thought, hmmm...maybe I could!

I practiced first on a simple padded (non-tufted) fabric headboard for the guest bedroom, trying to get a sense of how long it would take to make a headboard with actual tufted buttons. (Tutorial for simple fabric headboard coming soon!) Then I looked at tons of DIY tutorials and blogs to decide exactly how I wanted to make mine. I ended up combining tips from multiple blogs, which I've linked to here.

How to Make a Button Tufted Headboard --Part I Prepwork

Prepwork
1) Look at enough blogs about making a button tufted headboard that you get a sense of how you want to make yours. With legs, hanging on the wall, or propped against the wall? (Hanging for me.) What style of tufting? (I like tufts that are deep and diamond.) What shape for the headboard? (I wanted a simple rectangle with lots of cushiony puffiness to lean against.)

My favorites were this gorgeous silk Shantung diamond-tufted headboard by Sharon at Lilikoi Joy and Kristi's amazing (also diamond-tufted) headboard at Addicted2Decorating. I loved their styles, but knew I wanted to hang the headboard like a picture, just like Thrifty Decor Chick. That meant that I needed to keep the weight as light as possible, so I used Little Green Notebook's suggestion of a pegboard for the base, rather than the heavier MDF or (even heavier) plywood. I framed the pegboard with 1"x3" boards to give it stiffness. But I'm getting ahead of myself!

2) Decide on a size for the headboard. I wanted mine to be big enough if we ever bought a King bed again, but not too overwhelming for the Queen that we have. My queen is just over 60' wide, and a King is 72-76" wide. I decided to make my frame 72" or 6' wide, knowing that I'd get some extra inches of fabric and foam on each end. I did some measuring and decided that 2.5' tall was perfect for my bed.

3) Buy or gather your supplies. (See list, below) Be sure to have the hardware store cut your lumber for you (often 3-4 cuts are free), or else add this step to your project. Measure twice, cut once, folks! Be sure you know what measurements you want before *any* cuts are made.

4) Prep your workspace. Since I was working in an apartment, I cleared the LR and set up my sawhorses. I also put down an old sheet to cover the hardwood floors. This was to protect the floors and my headboard.

5) Decide how many buttons you want, and draw the design on your pegboard or plywood/mdf. I practiced on one side and drew the final version on the opposite side. No one will see it anyway, since it's hanging on the wall.

6) Number the holes in the design, starting in the middle and spiralling outward. This will be helpful when you are in the middle of tufting and can't remember which hole you are working in.

How to Make a Button Tufted Headboard --Part II Making It
Making It, Pegboard Version
1) Attach the 1" x 3" boards to the "wrong" or wall-side of the pegboard. The cans are to weight the wood while it dries bc I couldn't find my clamps. I used wood glue and then later reinforced with about 10  1.5" wood screws.

Glue your 1" x 3"s to the pegboard. Note numbers on tufting design

2) Cut holes in the foam to match your desired button placement. WARNING: Cut the holes ALL THE WAY through. I didn't do this and the tufting was a pain bc of it. Save yourself the trouble and cut the foam--all of it--all the way through. The fabric and batting will soften the holes. Trust me on this one.

Your holes should go all the way through the foam. Not like this.

TIP: An easy way to transfer the tufting pattern is to lay the foam on a sheet, then the pegboard over it. Use a sharpie to mark the pattern with dots/circles. Remove the pegboard and cut the holes where the marks are.

3)Place the pegboard on your sawhorses, with the 1"x 3" frame on the bottom. Place your foam layers on top, and then drape your batting over that. Make the batting nice and smooth, with no wrinkles. The foam can be in pieces--no one will know by the time you're done. Note: I didn't glue my foam down. The stuff in the spray cans kinda scared me, and it was too cold to open the windows, and I didn't have anyplace to put the cats to keep them from breathing it. I didn't have any trouble with things shifting around.

Cozy foam sandwich. nom nom

Smooth batting

4) Make your buttons. This part is fun! And fast! So fun and fast, in fact, that I didn't take a picture of the process. But here are my pretty buttons. I used scrap fabric for all the variety. You don't need much for each button--just a little circle of fabric no more than 2"x2". So don't buy a bunch of new fabric for this. If you want your buttons to be the same color as your headboard, you should have plenty of scraps. Remnants will also do if you don't have any fabric at home in your sewing box. (Or if you don't have a sewing box.)

Buttons!

5) Lay your fabric nice and smooth over your batting. Make sure the fabric hangs over the sides evenly.

Headboard on sawhorses

6) Start tufting! I threaded my long doll/upholstery needle with a double thickness of upholstery thread, tying it around a button. Then starting from the back/underside of the headboard, I put the needle /thread through the middle hole in my pattern. (The one marked "1") I pushed the needle through all the layers of foam, batting, and fabric, and pulled the thread through. I threaded the needle through a colorful fabric covered button, and pushed the needle back through all the layers. (This is where you will be GLAD you cut the foam through all the layers. It makes a clear path back to the pegboard hole.) If you have a thimble, it will help save your fingertips. Pull the needle through and around the button on the backside, pulling your thread nice and tight to make a nice, deep tuft on the top. (I had to do a few over when I didn't pull the thread tight enough to make a deep tuft.) It can be helpful to have someone to help with this part, but I did it on my own just fine. It just takes a little longer as you check that everything looks good on the top before you tie the thread tight on the bottom.

Note: Be a little loose with the fabric for each button so you can make the nice diamond part of the tufting. Once you have 5 tufts together, you can use your fingers to start making the diamond patterns. Here is what the first few look like:

The first five tufts

6) Work your way from the middle out to the edges. Use your numbered holes on the back for guidance about order for tufting. If you're using multi-colored buttons, like me, stop periodically to make sure you like your placement and don't have two of the same color too close together.

Starting to see the benefits of all that needlework

Almost done with the tufting!

So close! Keep up the good work

Now the tufting is complete.

Tufted side, looking down

7) Now carefully turn your headboard over so the tufted part is on the bottom and the 1" x 3" frame is on the top. It will look something like this:

back / frame side, looking down

8) Starting from the center of one of the long sides, pull the batting tight (not the fabric yet!) and staple it to the 1" x 3" frame with your staple gun. Be sure to check that the batting is SMOOTH and TIGHT as you go. Wrinkles at this stage will show up in the finished product. Work your way from the center of each long side side almost to the corners. Then do the short sides from the center to the corners. TIP: Staple a few sections loosely to keep the batting from flopping off the frame. Then tighten it up by pulling and putting in more staples when you get to that section of the headboard.

9) At each corner, do like you would to wrap a present: folding each side in, making neat corners, (staple 'em as you go). Pull the center tight and put lots of staples in. Cut off the excess batting.

Pretty corner, wrapped like the tufted gift of awesomeness that you are

All done with attaching the batting!

9) Repeat with the fabric, starting at the center of the long side. With the fabric, you want to be sure to follow the folds of the tufts, keeping the fold as you pull the fabric tight and staple it. This is what makes the tufting look nice and more professional. Do spot checks to make sure the fabric looks good from underneath. (That's the side that shows, with the tufting.) Take your time and make sure it looks pretty! It only takes a little extra time to arrange the fabric to look nice and you will be happier with the more professional-looking results.

All done with the fabric.
Note the folds visible in the lower part of the picture.

10) Ta-da! Now place it someplace you can admire it for a minute.

"admire me." says tufty.

How to Make a Button Tufted Headboard --Part III Hanging It
Hanging Your Headboard
It isn't enough to prop the headboard against the wall on top of the mattress--you need to properly attach it so it doesn't flop over onto your head while you are sleeping. (Ahem.) Using your picture / mirror hanging kit, attach 2-3 hooks to the wall and 2-3 D-rings to the headboard. I used two of each.

1) Measure the distance from the floor to the top of where you want your headboard to be. This is roughly how high you will place your hooks. Use a level to make sure your markings are the same height.

2) Use a studfinder to find studs to drill your hooks into. Attach your hooks to the stud in the wall.

Use the level again to make sure the hooks are hung in an even line

3) Measure the distance between your hooks/studs, too. At the risk of sounding obvious, they need to be closer together than the length of your headboard (in my case, 6 feet), but far enough apart that you can evenly spread out the weight on each hook/d-ring.

4) Measure the distance between the hooks. Mark that same distance on the back of the headboard.

5) Attach your D rings to the headboard's 1" x 3" frame where you made the markings. Be sure that the D-rings are attached equidistant from the top of the frame or your frame will hang crooked.

6) Hang your headboard by placing the D-rings on the hooks. Enjoy!

Shoutout to the artist Sophia Wallace for her "Solid Gold Clit" limited edition print

Multicolor buttons means that it looks good in different spaces.

My cost: $57.50

Disclaimer: I saved a good $40-50 because my mom hooked me up with fabric, foam, needle and thread, and I had leftover batting, buttons, eggcrates and scrap fabric for the buttons. Your cost, if you have the tools, will probably be closer to $100 if you buy all the materials new. That's still way less than the $600 I would have paid for the World Market bed though!

Readers, would you take the time to make something like this? Do you have tips for making the process easier? Please leave your questions and comments below!

Supply List for DIY Pegboard Button Tufted Headboard*
8' x 4' pegboard, cut down to 70" x 30" (6' x 2.5')       $16
 3/4" button making kit + refills enough for 33 buttons        $12
(I used 40% off coupons at Joann Fabric)
 2" foam from the shop of Mom's house        FREE 
(use a coupon at fabric or craft store if you want to buy, or skip and use egg crates)
2 twin sized egg crate toppers        FREE
(leftover from when I couldn't find a queen sized mattress topper)
 They are $10-$15 each at Target.
I made the other headboard with egg crates instead of 2" foam
and it is super comfy, not to mention way less expensive!
1"x 3" x 8' poplar boards, 3 total     $24 ($8 each)
I wanted a sustainable wood source, so I paid a little more. 
The cuts were made for free. two at 6' and 2 at 2.5'
Wood glue    $1.50
Sandpaper   $4
Not imperative but nice for smoothing any rough edges off the frame. 
I have heaps left over for other projects.
Picture and Mirror Hanging Kit      FREE
These cost about $5-10 at hardware stores and have multiple ways
to hang pictures and mirrors. I used 2 D-rings and 2 hooks that hold
at least 80lbs each (d-rings) and 100 lbs (hooks).
3 and 1/3 yards of fabric       FREE
This will normally be your biggest expense. Shop around!
Use coupons! I was prepared to spend $20-30 on fabric, 
using a 40% off coupon from Joann's. Then I found a gorgeous
woven silk at my mom's and it was exactly what I wanted. (Thanks, mom!)
Note: if your headboard is bigger or smaller, you will need more/less fabric.
3 yards of batting      FREE
Use a coupon for this, or buy on sale! I had leftovers from a previous project,
and mom gave me some to cover the rest. Batting is normally $2-$5 /yard.
Long Upholstery or Doll needle    FREE
These are usually $3-$4. Mom had one she gave to me
Upholstery Thread    FREE
About $3-5 at the fabric store. Thanks, shop of mom!
Staple Gun     FREE
Worth owning if you don't have one, or borrow from a friend or neighbor. 
Manual ones run about $30
Staples--I used 1/4" on mine    FREE
I had plenty leftover from other projects. 
These are about $3.50 for a large box
Buttons    FREE
For the backside of the headboard, to hold the tufts nice and deep.
MUST be larger than the holes in the pegboard!
I just used a bunch of leftovers from my sewing box.
Measuring Tape, a Pen/Sharpie, Fabric Scissors, studfinder     FREE
Get these if you don't have them and plan on more projects! 
It will run you about $25 for all four.
1.5" wood screws, 10    FREE
I used about 10 to make sure the frame was firmly attached to the pegboard.
Drill / screwdriver   FREE

* My mom has a great eye and a lot of stuff. She taught me to sew when I was 7, and how to use power tools shortly thereafter. She was super generous in giving me materials to help lower the cost of the headboard, saving me at least $40. And she helped me to make it, too, by driving me to the hardware store, measuring for the 1" x 3"s and cutting the holes in the foam. Thanks, mom!

A Different Sort of Garden

One of the things I have missed most during my 6+ years of living in a SoCal apartment (and 6+ years of a graduate school reading and writing schedule) is having a big garden. Oh, I still have houseplants--some herbs and my sturdy jades and even a tenacious neglected geranium potted outside my front door--but no 15-foot sunflowers with faces as big as my head, no heirloom tomatoes or trailing cucumber vines. I miss swapping the abundance with neighbors, learning new techniques to get the tastiest vegetables from efficient work and sustainable methods, saving the best seeds for the next planting. City living + career change + cross-country move flung me far from my former routine and I've never quite found my way back to gardening with the same vigor.

Yet it occurs to me that I've been busy planting, watering and nurturing other sorts of seeds, ones which bear different kinds of fruit and flowers. My dissertation is one crop I've been working on for many years, a sort of unimpressive pumpkin patch that grew when no one was paying attention, and which I am now patiently cooking up in sauces and soups for publications, presenting like slices of holiday pie for conferences and job talks. My teaching is another, a rotating bed of students and topics that bears (generally) extremely satisfying--and entertaining--harvests. I love teaching and while it sounds cliche, I learn as much from my students as they do from me. Swapping teaching techniques is a little like trading seeds: the potential is there in the technique, but each person plants and waters and harvests differently. My good friends know I'm a bit obsessed with sustainability, desire, creativity and quality of life, topics that infuse my thinking, research, teaching and personal time on a daily basis.

A little over a year ago, I experienced a sudden injury followed by months of chronic pain, limited mobility and decreased mental and physical stamina. I had to adapt my life to fit my new limits, something that caused me to reflect more on access and accessibility in relation to teaching and learning. Something as (formerly) simple and quick--10 minutes, max--as picking up a projector and speaker from the media office and walking three flights of stairs to the next building to prepare for class on the second floor became a 45 min ordeal of juggling bags, dropping papers while maneuvering heavy doors, multiple rest stops and long waits for the elevator. Teaching became the most exhausting thing in my life, instead of the most invigorating, and I had to let go of old habits and try new strategies--not least, asking for assistance before I needed it and honoring my limits. I'm not perfect, but this experience has helped me be more aware of my students' accessibility needs, and I'm interested in making my teaching and learning more accessible not as an adaptation, but from the get-go. I'm still learning, mostly from other teachers and students, as well as from feminist and queer writers and activists in the blogosphere.

My most recent crop of students, thirty-one talkative, lively, earnest, creative and opinionated young people from a nearby small liberal arts college, have inspired me to write about teaching, learning, sustainability and access. The atmosphere of this college is one of intellectual openness and experiential learning, commitment to sustainability and diversity. The course, "Resistance to Monoculture: Creativity and Sustainable Knowledge Systems," was the most enjoyable class I have taught thus far. In it, I asked my students to think about the role of technology in resisting monocultural forms of thinking and living, even as it conformed to them in other ways. My students came to trust me enough that I felt comfortable trying new things with my teaching, activities and assignments that I was too intimidated to attempt in my graduate institution. Thus, Wearable Art Activism (inspired by Alexis Pauline Gumbs M@ke Way project) and attending Drag Finals Night at a nearby gay bar became, at this school, legitimate and fun ways for students to incorporate what they had learned about intersectionality, sustainability, queerness and diversity over the course of the term.

So in the interests of practicing what I preached--in terms of using technology to resist monocultural thinking and practices--I'm writing this blog to record, reflect on and skillshare femiqueer teaching, learning, accessibility and sustainability practices.  Enjoy!