DIY Canopy

Filed under Be Creative DIY Projects on Feb 11 12 by Lauren D'Alessandro

On a trip to Ikea last year, I fell in love with this gorgeous Rosmarie fabric. After months of storing this fabric in my dresser drawer, I decided to put it to good use. At the same time, I took advantage of an architectural element of my bedroom that is sometimes difficult to work with: my sloped ceilings. I created a perfect canopy that adds some warmth and drama to my room while doubling as an inexpensive headboard.

To start, I hemmed this panel and created a rod pocket at the top. Basic sewing skills are all that is necessary for this. I folded the hem in twice to avoid frayed ends, ironed and pinned it in place, and then used my mom’s sewing machine to stitch along the length of the curtain. To add the “rod pocket” for the curtain rod, I sewed the hem about 2 inches from the top, leaving plenty of room to slip the curtain rod through. If you don’t feel comfortable sewing, you can use a regular curtain panel (just make sure that it is the appropriate length and width to hang behind your bed).

Once my panel was complete, the curtain rods needed to be installed. I installed two curtain rods: one at the top by the ceiling and one just below the base of the slope to hold the panel back against the wall. I picked up these crystal-ended curtain rods for just $5 apiece at Ross. (Ok, confession: I didn’t install these. My dad did. That’s not to say that girls can’t install curtain rods—that’s just to say that I can’t.)

And, that’s it! I let my fabric hang flat because I wanted to show off the rose pattern, but if you want a more drape-y look, opt for a lighter, somewhat shear fabric. There are several ways that you can work similar magic in your room, even if your ceiling isn’t like mine. You could simply hang a panel of fabric behind your bed. Or you could get creative, and hang your top rod from your ceiling.