We covered an old wooden headboard with a slipcover made from a cheap canvas fabric. The cover is held by ribbons tied on each side. To give the cover an elegant look, we placed a piece of old handwork in the center of the drop cloth.
Remove the needlepoint or crew work from your frame, or if it's a pillow, remove the stuffing. Iron If necessary, trim or sew the edges to ensure each side is even and square.
Choose a piece of fabric that fits over your headboard. We use a painter's canvas canvas. Lay the canvas on a work surface facing up. Lay the hem-facing tape horizontally in rows on the pillowcase. You don't need a full row of tape on the back of the cover, just enough on the ends for the tie. Sew the ribbon in place or use the iron-on wide knotted ribbon to stick it onto the canvas.
Lay the embroidered piece face down and use a hemming tape to hold it in place around the edges. Then hand sew or sew the edges with a decorative stitch.
We placed our sleeve over a post header. To hold the cover in place, a spring-loaded curtain rod was placed between the poles, then the cover was placed over the rod and tied at the sides.
Joanne Palmisano is the author of Salvage Secrets (W.W. Norton, September 2011). Visit her blog, also called Salvage Secrets ..
