20.5.11

coffee sack headboard


One Saturday afternoon, Jilly called to alert me that she was heading toward my neighborhood to drop off her munchkins at a birthday party in my neck of the woods.  Knowing in the back of my mind that she'd be the perfect person to help me construct a headboard for the ninos' room, I tricked her into spending a few hours at my house.  I think I told her I would feed her a gourmet lunch while massaging her shoulders, but really, I had something more like this on my mind.


Jilly showed up 20 minutes later slightly overdressed for this party, but I knew she would be a good sport, and I was right.  After I offered her my best selection of crackers and we got right to work.  I'll show you how to reproduce this headboard so you can make one too.

First buy some 3/4" plywood and have a nice young man at Home Depot cut it to size.  I was planning on using it for a twin bed so mine is 55h x 38w.  Next draw a template of the shape you want on the top out of butcher paper.  It's easiest and most precise if you fold it in half vertically and then cut it.  Tape it onto your wood and trace the shape with a pencil. 


Cut the shape out with a jig saw and sand down any rough edges.


Next adhere 1.5" dense foam to the wood with spray adhesive and cut the foam to match the pattern of the wood.




Add a layer of dacron (can be found at any upholstery store) and adhere it with spray adhesive.  Cut it so it wraps around the edges of the headboard.


You'll need two burlap sacks.  Take the first one and cut it all the way down the right and left sides so you have one very long rectangle.  Repeat with the second sack.  Sew the two sacks together and position them on top of the dacron just as you want them to look when it's finished.  I liked the big thick seam down the middle so I left it there, but off set it just a little. 


Secure the burlap with a few staples underneath on all four sides and then turn the whole thing over.  Begin stapling the burlap in place, being careful not to pull it too tight. 


I wanted to add a little more color so I taped off a 1" line and stippled a yellow stripe slightly left of center. 


I didn't want to mess with legs on my headboard so I used this handy little cleat found on aisle 15 at Home Depot to hang it right on my wall.  The whole thing weighed about 20 lbs.  Nothin' this bad boy couldn't handle.


And that's it!  I LOVE the way it turned out! 


The whole thing cost me about $40. The price tag makes it even more charming, wouldn't you say?

If you need a great source for burlap, my friend Candy put me on to {this} website.  They're on sale for .85 right now.  Can't beat that.

Remember these square pillow shams for the ninos' bed? 


If you want to learn how to make them, there's an easy to follow tutorial {here}

17 comments:

  1. That's great! I recently posted this http://magpieshinies.blogspot.com/2011/05/patio-plant-party.html where I mentioned in passing that I had bought 2 coffee sacs for 50 cents each, but had no clue what to do with them.

    Unfortunately, I do not need a headboard at all! I'm wondering what else I could use this technique for...but it's a great place to start. Thank you!

    Kimberlee of Magpie Shinies

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  2. Okay ladies, this has to be one of my FAVORITES! You know I admire, envy and wish I possessed just a smigde of your creativity and skills. The ninos room has turned out so, so good. The headboard has just the right touch of texture and that yellow you added...va voom! Really nice work. Inspiring!

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  3. You gals knocked it out of the park yet again with this project! I love the typography and the pop of yellow. GENIUS! :) The room is looking really fab.

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  4. That is the cutest headboard, ever! And you made it looks soooo easy!

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  5. I LOVE the burlap...you know texture and all. The height of the headboard is GREAT!! You mixed up the fabrics well...not expected, but coordinated and definitely not "matchy, matchy, bed-in-a-bag". LOVE IT! Great Job!

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  6. What a great looking headboard!

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  7. Great headboard on the cheap!!! What a great idea to add the unexpected to a bedroom! I didn't know they made those cleats that large, but thanks for the info ( I could have used them for many "hanging" projects). vickie

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  8. Hi! Thank you so much for the reference on where to purchase the burlap sacks! Mine just arrived. I'm curious.....are they safe to wash?

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  9. Hey Kelly, I didn't notice an overwhelming odor on my sacks so I didn't wash them, but we got an email from a reader who said she washed hers and they came out ruined. Good thing she didn't spend too much on them:)

    xo,
    Mia

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  10. GORGEOUS!!! Featuring this tonight. Thank you for linking with air your laundry Friday!

    xo
    Jami

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  11. We've used burlap sacks to decorate with - we found though not really dirty they smelled strongly of coffee beans (I don't like coffee!). We aired them for about 4 days straight and sprayed them with febreze (not too much though as it can cause the print to leach a bit). They look and smell great now.

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  12. LOVE!!! Thanks for sharing!!! Just got some coffee bags myself and just can not decide what to do!! A headboard would be fun!! Thanks for sharing!

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  13. glad to find this tutorial. i've been thinking of how to be able to hang my headboard safely. thanks

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  14. OMG, your headboard is amazing, beautiful, fabulous! I love those colors put together, well done! I found you via Boogie Board Cottage (link parties page). I'm your newest follower!

    I'd love it if you stopped by and said hi at "my place", www.myclevernest.com. :)
    Have a great week,
    Alyssa

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  15. Mia,
    I love this tutorial and plan on linking to it in one of my Freebie Friday round-ups of fab tutorials in April 2013. I'd love to use one photograph along with your name and blog name and the link to encourage people to visit your blog. I couldn't find copyright info on your blog. Is it OK to use one photo with appropriate credit along with the link?

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    Replies
    1. Coleen, YES! you certainly can use my pics. Thanks for thinking about me for your Freebie Friday round up.

      xoxo,
      Mia

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  16. Very helpful review. Many of these questions I regularly use but you reminded me of some others - the prediction question and overcoming the urge in particular - which I shall revisit. Useful summary to share with.
    burlap bags

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We LOVE comments and we read every single one. Go ahead, make our day!
Mia & Jilly

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