A canopy will make any bed or couch cozier and more psychologically comfortable and will allow you to create a place for privacy, which is so important for any person. Not to mention that it is an elegant decorative solution. Making a canopy with your own hands is as easy as shelling pears; for this you don’t have to buy a bed with a special frame, although it looks stylish.
We have put together master classes for you with different approaches to creating canopies: choose the one that suits you best, or focus on the materials that are at hand right now.
Canopy on a hoop
No, this canopy does not need to be embroidered - the hoop is used as a base. You will need a hoop that you can separate to remove the inner circle. Place two long curtains with a drawstring on the outer circle and close it again.
Tie two ropes to the circle with strong knots in the spaces between the curtains. Tie the ends of the ropes together, preferably even in a loop, and hang them on a hook mounted in the ceiling.
If desired, the circle can be additionally decorated with a wreath of artificial flowers or a contrasting fabric skirt. For a brighter option in an ethnic or boho style, take two pairs of curtains of different colors and patterns and add thread with wooden beads. For a canopy over a large bed, it makes sense to use a hula hoop instead of a hoop.
Decor options
The canopy is decorated in different ways. For very small children, jewelry should not have sharp, hard, easily detachable parts that could injure or choke on a baby.
What is suitable for decoration:
- lush bows;
- lace;
- frill;
- ribbons;
- applications;
- photo prints;
- colored cords;
- textile stars, hearts, animal figures.
Decor such as wooden, plastic beads, textured stripes must be firmly fixed so that the baby cannot tear it off.
Hint of canopy
This option can be implemented if you have a suspended ceiling or a wooden one, for example, that is, made of material that can actually be pierced with buttons. You will need two lightweight wooden knitting needles or hard plastic tubes. Light curtains with a drawstring are put on them, and then the sticks are pinned to the ceiling with large buttons closer to the head of the bed. The curtains themselves can be left hanging freely or gathered with ribbons. The canopy turns out to be very unobtrusive and light, so it can be coordinated even with a man who considers this decoration appropriate only over the bed of a young princess.
Loose fabric
You will need two short rods. A curtain rod is also suitable - it usually already comes with fasteners. Mount the rods to the ceiling parallel to each other on either side of the bed above the headboard and throw a long piece of fabric over them. If you want to secure the canopy so that it hangs over the bed in a certain way, use pins.
Double suspension
If you have high ceilings, you may want to mount the canopy lower. In this case, take two short rods or wooden tubes, on which the fabric will hang in the manner of the previous master class. Tie ribbons to the rods at each end and then tie each of the ribbons to hooks mounted in the ceiling: it will be more secure if each of the four ribbons has its own hook.
The fabric around the rods can be stitched to help it hold better, or simply secured with discreet pins. To prevent fabric and ribbon knots from falling off the ends of the rod, install plugs. We found a tutorial where flat wooden circles were simply glued to the end of a rod, but in this case it is better to use pins rather than thread to secure the fabric itself, so that the fabric can be removed for washing. This idea can be implemented not across the bed, but along it
Materials
In order to sew a canopy for a crib yourself, you first need to collect the materials necessary for this. In needlework you always need to have a lot of little things on hand.
The material for this type of accessory must be chosen of high quality. It is worth choosing a fabric that is light and pleasant to the touch. It is also important that it allows air to pass through well and does not become electrified. Depending on what effect you want to achieve, you need to choose the appropriate density. For light shade, you should take translucent flowing fabrics, but for more reliable shelter from light, a denser material is required.
Tulle, chiffon, organza and silk are great. There are also options made from synthetic fabrics, which are not inferior in quality to natural ones. Among synthetics, you should choose analogues of natural ones based on quality - for example, synthetic silk.
The color of the fabric of the product should be calm and not too bright. Bright colors will provoke the child to be active. The canopy should not only protect from sunlight, but also set the baby up for a restful, sound sleep.
Tip: Velvet works well for a thick cape. But such fabric is difficult to care for; dust and allergens quickly accumulate on it, which is undesirable for a child.
So, to sew the product you will need the following materials and tools:
- textile;
- sharp scissors;
- soft pencil;
- tailor's chalk;
- threads to match the color of the fabric;
- needles and pins;
- pattern;
- materials for decoration (ribbons, lace, ruffles).
It is also advisable to have a thread on hand in a contrasting color with the fabric. It is needed for preliminary stitching of parts. A preliminary seam is needed to prevent the fabric from unraveling while working at the sewing machine, and it also helps to avoid mistakes.
How to sew a canopy: in the style of Marie Antoinette
Here you will also need two curtain rods. Ideally, they will be the width of the bed. This time the idea is to put a curtain with a drawstring on one curtain rod and secure it to the ceiling across the width of the bed somewhere in the area above the pillows, and mount the second curtain rod on the wall above the headboard and simply throw the fabric over it. As a result, the curtain will create a wave above the headboard, and its remaining length will go along the wall behind the bed.
DIY crib canopy
Making a canopy over a child’s bed is much easier than making one for an adult’s bed. A girl's crib with such a beautiful design will look especially cute and cozy. Such a simple detail will turn any place into a small magical world for a child. It’s not for nothing that children love to build huts from improvised materials.
If the apartment is one-room or the parents sleep with the child, then a canopy is simply necessary. It will protect the baby from mosquitoes, bright light, dust and sudden drafts, not to mention the aesthetic pleasure of contemplating such an interesting detail. Making such a design will not take much time.
We will need:
- a special holder for children's canopies, which is sold in stores or the market. If you cannot find such a product, then you can purchase thick wire or buy a metal rod;
- canopy fabric. How to correctly calculate the required amount was written above. You can take two types of material: in addition to a more transparent tulle base, you can purchase a slightly denser material for the “skirt” of the canopy;
- loops or eyelets with which the material will be hung on the holder.
Stages of work:
- We make a canopy holder from thick wire. Usually it consists of two parts: a tripod and a ring. The tripod is made to the desired height and attached to the crib. Next, install a curved ring on it, on which you can hang the fabric. You don’t have to make a tripod, but just make do with a ring. The latter will then be mounted on the wall at a convenient height, which rarely exceeds one meter, or attached to the ceiling using a chain. Instead of a ring, you can make an oval if it seems more convenient to the parents.
- A canopy is sewn from the material. This is done quite simply. A large piece of material is folded in two. A rope or elastic band is passed through the middle in the drawstring, and hooks or eyelets are sewn there. The edges of the material are also folded and hemmed to prevent the material from creeping. For such a canopy you can sew a so-called “skirt”, the length of which can be chosen to your liking. The fabric used here is denser, such as satin or cambric. This part is put on top of transparent material. It will be very beautiful to decorate such a “skirt” with a large bow. By the way, from the same dense material you can make cuffs along the edges of the transparent tulle part of the canopy. But it all depends on your preferences.
- The sewn fabric canopy is placed on a previously made ring. It turns out something like a “dome”. Everything is quite simple and fast. It is better to choose lightweight fabric for the canopy over the crib in the form of organza, tulle, chintz or muslin. Heavy material may bend the ring and tripod structure. In addition, the fabric itself should be easily removable, since it must be washed periodically. Under no circumstances should dust accumulate above the crib.
Curtains with fireflies
The bed can be decorated with fabric in the corners if overhanging fabrics confuse you. In the photo below, two curtains were hung on rings (the same hoops will do), which in turn were attached to hooks on the ceiling. This way you can decorate all four corners of the bed. The idea looks even better if you decorate the curtains with glowing garlands.
Frame over the bed
The most common way to create a canopy for an adult bed with your own hands is a frame. It can be attached to the bed itself or have an independent base. This type of frame is the most stable and simplest method. You can use simple curtains as a curtain.
You can make a frame from metal pipes or wood. The design is as simple as possible, four vertical posts and four horizontal ones for the top of the frame. The simplest and most reliable version of the frame is the one that is attached to furniture. You can make an independent frame, but it is worth remembering that it must be stable. This can be achieved through massiveness or by attaching it to the floor.
In addition, you can make the canopy temporary using this design if it is collapsible. This is the most practical option, since in this case you can simply create the appropriate atmosphere in the bedroom at will.
Copper corners
Here, as in the previous idea, the curtains are placed at the corners of the bed, but the fasteners are very interesting.
You will need copper water pipe angles (4 pcs.), T-shaped pipe pieces (4 pcs.), copper U-shaped fasteners (12 pcs.) and plugs (8 pcs.), as well as 8 narrow lightweight curtains and 8 wooden sticks of such a diameter that they fit tightly into the corners. If you can't find copper pipes, you can take regular pipes and paint them with copper paint.
Glue the copper pieces to the sticks as in the photo below.
Then put the curtains with a drawstring on the sticks and assemble the structure. Attach the resulting cornices to the ceiling using fasteners - the canopy is ready. The only negative: to wash the curtains, you have to unscrew the curtain rod. You can make cleaning easier by taking curtains with rings rather than drawstrings, but then it’s better to paint the wooden sticks copper so that they don’t stand out too much, or take pipes instead.
Pattern and sizes
The pattern depends on the size of the future canopy, so large format paper is needed. An old newspaper is perfect for this.
Standard canopies have a size of 2.5 * 1.5 m . But if you expect that the finished product should have folds, then you should take fabric measuring 2 * 3 m. It is also worth taking into account seam allowances.
The pattern can be made in the size of either the finished product or half. The halves are identical, but mirrored. The lines on the pattern should be drawn with a soft pencil so that all the details are clearly outlined.
There are two ways to cut fabric:
- The first one is very easy - you need to trace the paper pattern on the fabric with chalk, and cut out the resulting silhouette with scissors.
- In the second case, you need to pin the paper with the pattern to the fabric and carefully trim off the excess.
This stage is very important, you can’t make mistakes here. If you accidentally cut the fabric where it is not needed, you can greatly ruin the appearance of the product.
Type of pattern for a children's canopy:
This pattern is designed taking into account that there will be a skirt on top of the cape. It is also called the crown. This fabric is needed not only for the pleasant appearance of the product, but also for putting the canopy on the frame. The skirt should be made no more than 60 cm long. If it is not provided for in your version, then it is worth adding 10 cm on top. The skirt can also be made from a strip of fabric folded in half.
The dimensions of this product are 1.5*3 m. The canopy is made from a single piece of fabric. The seam in the middle does not need to be done until the very end. The missing distance is intended for ease of putting on the frame.
