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Pastimes: Brighten Up Your Bedroom –
By DeDee Birdsall
Once just a place for sleeping, our bedrooms have long since become a safe haven, a favorite at-home retreat where we can get away from the world. Since we often spend more time in there than just our typical eight hour REM cycle, it’s always fun to redecorate and add some flair to what can easily become a neglected space. That can end up costing big bucks, so we’ve come up with several projects you can complete in a weekend that won’t break the bank, don’t require a sewing machine and will help create a professional look worthy of Better Homes & Gardens.
Tufted Love
A great looking headboard is the focal point of any bedroom, but buying a new one can set you back hundreds of dollars, if not more. Instead, kick your décor up a notch with a little effort and imagination by designing your own custom upholstered headboard. Whether you scour flea markets for an inexpensive discarded headboard, dig one out of the attic or build your own, this project is a snap. We used an existing headboard and a few other supplies to put things together.
Materials and Supplies
- Headboard
- Electric staple gun and staples
- Upholstery batting
- Fabric and trim
Putting It Together
Measure the length and width of the headboard (front and back) to find out how much fabric you’ll need. Consider purchasing decorator fabric, as it’s stronger and comes in widths that range from forty-five to sixty inches wide. Pick up some upholstery batting from your local fabric store in an amount large enough to cover the front side of the headboard, plus an additional four inches to help cover the frame. Cut the batting to cover the front and sides of the headboard, then lay the headboard face down on the batting and staple the batting in place, pulling taut as you go along.
Next, cut fabric for the front part of the headboard and repeat the stapling process once more. Continue to pull taut as you staple your way from the top center, out to the sides, then switch to the bottom and repeat. If adding trim, position in place using straight pins and staple. Cover raw edges on the back with additional fabric and repeat the stapling process. Remember not to pull too tightly as you staple the batting and fabric so as not to cause unwanted puckering on the front side. Once you’re finished, you’ll have a gorgeous new headboard that adds instant flair!
Having a Ball
Embellishing a blanket or throw is a great way to add warmth and comfort to a bedroom. Take a cue from the style of Morocco, where blankets trimmed with oversize pom poms are a distinctive luxury. It’s another easy no-sew option that can help you jazz up your bedroom in no time flat.
Materials and Supplies
- Blanket or throw
- Pom pom maker/templates
- Yarn
- Upholstery needle
A simple pom pom maker such as the Easy Knitter retails for $2.97 and includes the templates for three sizes of pom poms. These can be purchased online at www.consumercrafts.com or at your local craft store in the yarn section. Thread it up and you’ll be making pom poms in a flash.
Putting It Together
There are plenty of online resources to help you create your own pom pom template, but the purchased templates are a snap to master and make great looking pom poms every time; for this project, we used the medium sized template. Thick wool yarn works best for making the larger, palm-sized pom poms used on our blanket and can be purchased for as little as $6.00 a skein. Mix and match a couple of yarn colors on the same template for a vibrant two-toned pom pom.
When winding the yarn onto the template, keep in mind that the more times you wind the yarn, the denser your finished pom pom will be. Once you begin threading the template, leave a tail of yarn about eight inches in length. When finished, thread both ends through an upholstery needle and stitch through the trim of your blanket. For our project, we used a knit blanket and pushed both ends of the tail through the fabric and tied it on the back side. Voila – pom pom blanket!
Bright Idea
Love the lamp but hate the shade? Breathe new life into an old light source by covering the shade with a fabric that matches your room’s décor. A simple search online or a trip to your local lamp headquarters will convince you that making your own version easily beats the cost of buying a new one. With the variety of fabrics available, the sky’s the limit! Here’s what you will need:
Materials and Supplies
- Lamp shade
- Paper for a pattern
- Fabric
- Scissors
- Spray adhesive
Putting It Together
On top of a large sheet of paper, lay the lampshade on its side with a seam on one edge of the paper. Starting at the seam, trace the shape of the top and bottom edges of the shade onto the paper. Roll the shade, marking the top and bottom edges on the paper until you come back to where you started. Remove the shade and add one inch at the top, bottom, and at the seam line. Next, cut a paper pattern, which you will use as a template to cut the fabric. Remember to add one inch at the top and bottom. Test fit the fabric on the shade and carefully trim as necessary.
Spray the wrong side of the fabric with the adhesive. Beginning at the shade’s seam, lay the shade on one edge of the fabric and carefully roll it onto the fabric a few inches. Pick up the shade and continue smoothing the fabric, stretching and smoothing it until you’ve covered the entire shade. Clip the edges of the fabric every half inch so that it curls over the top and bottom of the shade. Gently smooth out the fabric and allow the adhesive to dry. To achieve a finished look, decorate the top and bottom edges with a band of braid, ribbon, lace, beads or fringe.
Decorating Resources
For more inspired decorating ideas to brighten up your bedroom, visit www.hgtv.com, where you can search by room, style, color and designer to help you put together the perfect look. Also, be sure to check out www.theinspiredroom.net, where you can find great ideas for the budget conscious designer. Both sites showcase home design and DIY projects to get you thinking. You can also add new paint, wallpaper, throw pillows or various other accessories you create yourself. Before you begin, play around with fabric swatches and see what suits your room best.
Giving your bedroom a fashionable makeover doesn’t require weeks worth of work or an interior design degree. All you need is a bit of imagination, a small batch of materials and a little bit of free time on your weekend. Before you know it, you’ll be redesigning with big style on a small budget, and you’ll have a brand new personal retreat that’s perfect for a quiet, in-home getaway.
