DIY Fabric Headboard
You’ll need:
• Upholstery weight (ideally) fabric (Spotlight or your favourite store)
• Batting - I used an extra thick batting, be sure to get the width you need to cover your plywood or card
• Plywood or cardboard (local hardware shop or repurpose something lying around)
• Staple gun (& staples!)
• Heavy duty mirror/picture hanger (we recommend Hangman Heavy Duty Mirror and Picture Hanger from Mitre 10 but you can use whatever suits you!)
Step 1. After laying the batting out on my tabletop, I put my sheet of plywood on top. The size of your plywood will depend on the size of your bed. Wrap the batting around the plywood and start stapling it down with a staple gun. Just staple your way all around the board. Super easy.
Step 2. Once the batting was secured, I laid out the fabric with the patterned side down. I gave it a quick ironing to get out any wrinkles before starting. After placing my plywood on top of the fabric, it was time to start stapling the fabric. I started off by doing the two long sides. I made sure to pull it tightly as I was going so that it wouldn’t be too loose in the front.
The corners are the part you want to be careful with. My technique (and I’m not sure if this is the “right” way or not, but it worked) is to approach it like I was wrapping a present. I get one side stapled, and then fold it in to the un-stapled side. Then I bring that piece up and pull it really tightly and staple along the seam. It takes a bit of practice, but I would just do it a few times until I got the perfect seam and then staple ‘er down.
Step 3. Now came the tricky part of actually hanging it. We wanted to attach it directly to the wall rather than to our bed. We searched around and finally came across a Heavy duty mirror / picture hanger (Mitre 10, Bunnings probably has similar) Simply mount one track on mirror or picture, then install the wall track with included anchorless fasteners.
We’re really happy with how it turned out. The colours are just right and it’s nice to bring another textile into the room. Plus, it makes our basic bed look about a million times nicer and more expensive!
Full tutorial with pictures: diyshowoff.com...
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
scumbags
There are some really awful people around at the moment. This is what happened on Sunday.
We live in Hinemoa Street opposite the Waiwhetu Stream. At around 3.40 in the afternoon I was looking out my window and saw a car pull up and start to feed the geese and ducks out the window. Then The passenger an asian man jumped out and threw himself onto a goose. he picked it up and put it the boot of the car.
I immediately ran over and stood in front of his car to stop him moving I also called my husband to help. A lovely man was riding his bike and saw it and stopped to help me. The driver tried to drive into me but I didnt move. He tried telling us it was his pet. These are wild geese.
They had a cage in the boot and some wire all ready to catch the poor bird like they have done it before. My husband took the bird from the car and released it. I then moved out of the way and after lots of abuse from the driver they drove off threatening to come back and get more.
No one should be allowed to take these beautiful birds and certainly not like this. they are all starting to have wee babies at the moment the whole thing was so upsetting to me. Another neighbour further down the road also saw it all happen.
Please keep a look out for this car and if you see them by the stream go over and watch them lets all stop this happening.
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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85.6% Yes
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13.2% No
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1.2% Other - I'll share below