PLATFORM BED DIY

Today I want to share an easy way to DIY a platform bed.  If you’ve ever used a drill and screwdriver, you could make this bed!  It’s really that simple.

Jeremy built our platform bed when we first moved into our home.  At the time, we had searched everywhere for the perfect bed but just couldn’t find one we loved.  He opted to build a wood platform and attach Ikea legs to the base.  It served its purpose for 7 years, but recently he decided the bed needed a serious makeover.  As we both love the muted tones and raw wood found in Scandinavian design, we covered the platform in grey felt and replaced the legs with poplar dowels.  Here’s the full how-to:

Materials:

1” thick wood – enough to create a platform to fit your mattress.

2   1”x 9”x 66” hardwood beams

4 to 6 Ikea Capita legs (the number of legs will depend on the size of the bed you are creating) 

28  1¼”wood screws

28 washers

Drill

2” drill bit

Sander

Medium and fine grit sandpaper

Wood glue

Linseed oil/ Polyurethane

Sponge brush

Screwdriver

Grey felt – enough yardage to cover the platform

Staple gun

5/16” Staples

Tape Measure

NOTE: You could use the Ikea legs as is, but if you prefer the look of the wood dowels include this in your list of materials:

4   2”x 9” poplar dowel legs

1 or 2   2”x 9 ¾ “ poplar dowel supports (optional)

Method:

1]  Measure the mattress to figure out how many pieces of wood you will need. If you need any pieces cut, a local lumberyard will do it for around 50c/cut.

2]  Using the 2” drill bit, drill 4 to 6 holes in each piece of wood. This allows heat to escape and preventing condensation from forming on the underside of the mattress.

3]  Sand the wood to remove any splinters.

4]  Seal the wood with polyurethane or linseed oil.

5]  Lay the wood pieces side by side forming the platform. 

6]  Glue the supporting pieces 7” from the top, bottom and side edge of the platform.  Evenly screw wood screws along the length of the supports.

7] Attach the Ikea leg brackets approx. 14” from the bottom and top edge of the platform centering them on the supporting beams.

If you prefer dowel legs, drill a hole slightly smaller than the bolt on the Ikea leg bracket.

8] Screw legs into the leg brackets.

Note: Depending on how large your bed is and how many pieces of wood you’ve used to create the platform, you may want to add another leg or 2 to stabilize it. We added an extra leg to the very center of our queen sized bed.

9]  Flip the platform over. Your bed should now look like this. Just ignore the fact that our bed has one side table. 

10]  Drape the felt over the platform and staple it to the underside. I needed two pieces to cover the width of our bed, so sewed these together before stapling. You could also just staple the two pieces in place. 

Done! 

Get Happy :) 

Please feel free to leave any questions/comments below. I do so love hearing from you. ☺  If you enjoyed this tutorial please share the love by liking The Felted Fox on Facebook. Also, don’t forget to subscribe or follow The Felted Fox on Bloglovin to receive free tutorials and patterns to your inbox. Nicole

WRAP CROP TOP DIY

Jeremy and I have finally returned from our four-month stint in Europe.  While I’ll miss the travelling, excellent food and magical sunsets, it’s always good to come home to San Diego—and all my crafting supplies.  Contrary to most peoples’ European adventures, I usually return with an empty suitcase.  I get so tired of lugging a heavy suitcase around that I donate most of my clothes to charity along the way.  So, left with only a few items of summer clothing, I decided to start sewing my own clothes.  

This wrap crop top is perfect for summer.  The crop top can be worn 3 different ways: knotted in front; tied in a front bow; (or my personal favorite) wrapped around the body and tied at the back.  It’s the first garment I’ve ever made from scratch and without a pattern.  I harvested fabric from a second-hand men’s shirt, sized large (I love a good recycle project!).  This wrap crop top pattern will fit a U.S. size 2-4.

Materials:

My free wrap crop top pattern (includes sewing allowance, print at 100%)

Men’s large shirt / 1 yard of fabric

Matching thread

Pins

Scissors

Sewing machine

Method:

1] Print and cut out templates.

2] Cut out your fabric pieces, as well as 3 long bias strips.

3] With right sides facing sew the shoulder seams at ½ “

4]  Fold the front bottom edge ¼ “ and iron flat. Repeat and sew edge. Sew the back bottom edge the same way.

5] Fold the front angled edge ½“ and iron flat.

6]  With right sides together, sew the side panels at ½“.  Leave the side seam open.

7] Turn the side panels right side out. Fold the top seam of your side panel about an inch towards the center, creating 2 ridges. Do this for approximately 9”, tapering the fold as you go.  Iron flat.

8] Fold one ridge of the side panel down and iron. Do this on opposing sides to create the left and right panel. The flap that is ironed down will be sewn on the inside of the top. I hope my images help to explain this step.

9]  Pin the side seams of the side panel and the back of top together. Sew.

10] Pin the turned down edge of the side panel to the front of the top. Sew to ½” from bottom edge.  Make sure not to sew through the front of the side panel. 

11] Finish the neckline and armholes with bias tape and any raw edges with a zigzag stitch.

This is a really fun little crop top, which I definitely be wearing all summer long.  I’ll be making a few more garments for summer and fall, so stay tuned.

Also, don’t forget to subscribe or follow on Bloglovin to get free patterns and tutorials in your inbox.  You can also share the love by liking The Felted Fox on Facebook.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by, Nicole. 

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TRIBAL PRINT BACKPACK DIY

This tribal print backpack began as a pillow from India.  I loved the fabric, but I didn’t like the shape or size of the pillow.  It went into storage for a few years until I unearthed it while preparing for a garage sale.  It seemed like such a shame to leave this beautiful print hidden from the world, so I decided to create a backpack for our trip to Switzerland.

Materials:

My free template
30” x 20” Heavyweight fabric

12” x 15” Costume pleather

12” x 15” Felt

2.5 yard 1” Nylon webbing

1 yard Drawstring

2 Plastic adjusters

1 Buckle

Black thread

Pins

Chalk

Scissors

Iron

Sewing machine

Method:

1) With the wrong side facing, measure 2 ½'' from the top of the fabric and mark with a pen.

2) Fold fabric ½“ from top and iron.

3) Fold fabric another 2'' to meet the pen mark you made. Iron flat and sew edge.

4) Insert the drawstring.

5) Fold fabric in half width wise. With right sides facing, sew the edge together. Use a zigzag stitch to finish edges and prevent the fabric from fraying. The fabric should now form a cylinder with the drawstring at the top.

6) Cut two pieces of nylon webbing 6.5” long. Thread plastic adjusters onto the webbing. Fold webbing in half and sew adjusters as shown in image below.

7) Cut base pieces from template. With wrong sides facing, sew edges together.

8) Pin base and adjusters in place. The adjusters were set 8” apart. In the photograph you can see that I’ve placed the fabric seam down the center back.

9) With right sides facing, sew base to backpack. Turn backpack right side out.

10) Cut two 28” pieces of nylon webbing for straps. Pin straps at an angle to top of bag, approximately an inch from the back center. Sew in place. Thread the straps through adjusters.

11) Cut one piece of nylon webbing 3” long. Thread buckle onto webbing. Fold webbing in half and sew as shown in image below.

12) Cut one piece of pleather and one piece of felt according to flap template. With wrong sides facing, sew together.

12) Cut one piece of nylon webbing 8” long.  Pin webbing to the felt in the center of flap. Sew webbing in place.

13) Pin and sew the flap to the backpack right above straps.

14) Pin buckle to the front of backpack and sew in place.

Note: If you plan on carrying heavy items, reinforce the straps by sewing extra nylon webbing perpendicularly across strap ends.

Any questions or comments are always welcome and appreciated. Hope you have a good weekend, Nicole.