Part 11 - Cutting the borders

Part 11- Cutting the Borders

The final element to prepare and cut is your border pieces. These will cover the sides of your headboard where the piping and staples are visible. You can use the same fabric as the front of the headboard, or a third fabric to give a stylish contrast.

1. As the sides of your headboard won't be too visible, it's not necessary to pattern match your borders. They can be cut out from the remainder of your main fabric, or you can even use a different fabric to create a contrasting look.

1. To work out the width you need to cut your borders, measure the width of your headboard including the wooden board, foam and fabric layers. Then roughly double this to give yourself enough excess to pull round to the back, and to accommodate seam allowance. You will be folding the fabric back on itself to hide staples and raw piping edges.

1. When it comes to the length, your fabric is unlikely to be long enough to cover the entire parameter of your headboard, so your border will need to be sewn together from different pieces. Break your headboard down into sections, and add a seam allowance wherever pieces will be joined. You might want to think about where the least obvious place will be for the seams to sit.

1. Cut using fabric scissors and label each piece with tailor's chalk.