You can turn a simple room into an elegant retreat by adding a curtained canopy all the way around the bed.
Regardless of which size your bed is, you can create a private sanctuary in your own bed with this canopy. The measurements for each size bed are as follows. These will help determine how much wood and fabric you will need.
- Full-54 x 75 inches (137 x 190 cm)
- Queen-60 x 80 inches (153 x 203 cm)
- King-76 x 80 inches (198 x 203 cm)
- California King-72 x 84 inches (182 x 213 cm)
The example will use the queen size bed measurements and an 8' high ceiling. The measurements can be adjusted up or down or other size beds or ceiling heights.
Materials Needed:
- 4 -1" X 1" x 8' boards
- 4 - 6" X 8' detailed trim molding
- Saw and miter box
- Measure tape
- Screws and screwdriver
- Screw anchors
- Drill
- pencil
- Stain
- Paint brush or rag
- 4-curtain rods (2 up to 60" and 2 up to 80")
- 22 screw in hooks (large enough for the curtain rod to rest in the body of)
- 24 yards of fabric 45-60" width
- Sewing Machine
- Iron
- 4-tie backs
Making the Wooden Base
- With your pencil mark each of the corners of the bed on the ceiling. Make sure they are 60" apart at the top and bottom of the bed and 80" apart on the sides.
- Cut 2 of your 1" x 1" boards 80" long and 2 boards 60" long.
- Predrill your boards about every 12".
- While one person holds the board in place on the ceiling between your marks, have the other person predrill the holes again. This time go into the ceiling.
- Any place you drilled into the ceiling where there was no stud will need an anchor.
- Remove the board and insert all of your anchors before screwing the wood to the ceiling.
- Now you are ready to screw your first board into place.
- Repeat the same process for the other three boards.
Adding the Decorative Molding
- Measure your wooden base you attached to the ceiling. Your measurements will have changed slightly. For our example the new measurements are 80" x 61 1/2".
- Two of the moldings will have a measure of 80" and two will measure 61 1/2".
- The moldings are cut using the miter and saw at a 45" angle. Remember that the measurements are for the shortest part of the board.
- The boards will be cut using opposite angles so that the ends will resemble wings \_____/.
- While one person holds the board evenly against the matching 1" x 1" board on the ceiling, the other person will screw the molding into the 1" board.
- Repeat the same process for each of the remaining 3 pieces of molding.
Sewing the Drapes
- For an 8' ceiling the measurement is 96 inches. 96" is 2.67 yards. You will want to add to your measure to accomodate the top rod pocket and the bottom hem so you need to round it off to 3 yards per panel.
- Cut 8 panels out of your fabric.
- Fold the sides of your panel in about 1/4" and iron down.
- Sew the fold down on both sides of each panel.
- On the top of your panel fold down 1/2" of fabric and press.
- Fold the fabric down again about 3" and press. (See photo)
- This will fold your salvage end underneath. Sew the bottom of your fold to the panel all the way across.
- Measure 1/2" from the top of the panel and sew all the way across the panel. This will create a rod pocket for your curtain.
- Repeat for the remaining 7 panels. Do not hem the bottom of your panels yet.
Finishing Off
- Stain decorative molding.
- Screw the first hook into the 1" X 1" board about 3" from the corner. Repeat for each board on both corners.
- Screw the remaining hooks in the 1" X 1" board about one each foot.
- Thread the curtain rod through the pocket.
- Attach rods to the wooden frame by laying the curtained rod in the screwed in hooks.
- Hem the bottom of each panel.
- You can tie back the panels by attaching one tie back per corner and pinning the cording in place.
- Enjoy!
The copyright of the article Making a Bed Canopy in Crafts is owned by Mary Welling-Bonney. Permission to republish Making a Bed Canopy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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