DIY Tufted Headboard under $40

Remember my DIY Headboard?

I'll be honest, when I made that headboard, I wasn't 100% satisfied. I didn't like the fabric a lot [not for my bedroom, that is], I wanted to tuft it but had no clue how and I also wasn't brave enough to set it to a height I wanted it to be at.

So almost after 2 years, I finally updated the headboard with everything I wanted.

I decided I would reuse the old headboard so I took the old cover out. It was a breeze and I reused it for the purpose it was intended to be at the first place.

On My Dining Table!

Then I measured and marked the back of my headboard for where I want to tuft and drilled some holes with my trusted drill :)
The spacing I used was 7.5" by 8.5" for my 5'X2.5' headboard.

Just a heads up, trying to drill the board from the front with your batting still on will break your drill bits [lesson learnt the hard way].

Making the buttons for tufting wasn't that bad once I got the hold of it.

For my supplies I went to Fabricland and got myself some tufting buttons, some strong thread and the longest needle I could find there. Instead of using upholstery grade threads I used craft and button grade and it was still strong enough for all the pull and stretch.

Thread and Needle

Tufting Buttons

I also got my fabric from there. I used good ol' canvas this time and am so glad I did! I looks so sophisticated and chic!

I used the same process I used before and stapled the fabric to the board.

Following the instructions on the package, me and hubby darling tried finishing the buttons for tufting. But we had a really hard time as our fabric was very thick. So instead of using their hilarious blue pusher thingy, we used pliers to push the back down.

Once we had everything ready to go, I took out the needle and started the tufting process.

I inserted the needle through the holes I made earlier at the back, hubby got the tufting button in and sent it right back to me :)

Make sure you have a lot of thread at the back for tieing and pulling. I re-threaded my needle with long sections for each button.

We used all the old buttons lying around the house [and on hubbys shirts] to tie the tufts from the back. Got this tip from another blog, can't remember where but will link it as soon as I do.

And here is the end result

DIY Tufted Headboard 

Something tells me, I forgot to iron the canvas this time...arghhhhh...hate to remove everything and start again :(

Will do so in time, but for now, this'll work :D
[update: you can steam the fabric to get rid of the creases too]

The total cost of this headboard for me was $38

Here is the breakdown:

Fabric 2 yard @ $12/yard - $24
Needle $2
Thread $2
Button kit pack $2.5
Buttons 3 pack of 5 buttons each @ $2.5 each - $7.5

Already had the staple gun, drill and screws and reused the board, foam and padding from my old headboard.

When I'll open the cover to fix the creases [if I do], I may add some more batting for that fluffy feeling. I may also add more tufts between the current ones if I feel like. hmm...that's a lot of planning :/

Enjoy!!