19 Feb 2024

How to Make a Fabric Bed Canopy

How to Make a Fabric Bed Canopy
You will need:
Brass hooks x 8 - big enough to hold your rods in
Brass curtain rod x 4 - this should be minimum, the width of the width of the bed, I used an extendable ones so I could make sure they fit
Fabric long enough to run from the back of the headboard (approx 3-4m per bed), up to the ceiling and also the depth of the canopy - allowing for a little extra to sag
Scissors, sewing machine, screwdriver
 
1. I started with putting the hooks in first, I added 4 on the ceiling: two at the head of the bed where the back wall joins the ceiling, and two about half way down the bed - the depth that I wanted the canopy. Make sure they are screwed in level, so the poles will be nice and straight. I made a template of a perfect rectangle, blue tacked it to the wall, and screwed the hook in at each corner.
 
2. Next, I prepared the fabric - fold in the edges so that it's the width you need; make sure it's a little narrower than your hooks so it won't squash up against them. Pin in place and sew seams.
 
3. For the top and the lip of the canopy, I folded the fabric back on itself so it ended up finishing in the part that faces the ceiling. This also allowed me to create a channel for the front pole to run through. (See image) The other end of the fabric will be behind the bed, so no need to make it too neat and tidy!
 
4. Then I created the two channels for the poles to run along. I set my channels back so that my canopy had a little lip at the front - and I added some trim to finish it off at the front. I also made the distance between the seams longer than the hooks, as I wanted to have a little sag in the canopy.
5. The channels were created by having an inverted fold in the material and sewing it together. Make the channel a little wider than the pole so that it easily slips on. Pin the inverted fold so that the face side (with the pretty pattern) is facing down on the canopy, and the new channel will be above next to the ceiling.
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6. Do this for both channels, then run the rods through and hook the ends of the rods into the hooks. All done!
 
 
7. Steam out any creases, or iron before hanging - it makes all the difference!