02 Working outside, or in a well-ventilated area, spray the front and sides of the board with primer. Repeat with the spray paint, using two or three coats to ensure the board is evenly covered, leaving it to dry in between each coat.
03 Stick a small piece of washi tape between every five holes along the top and side of the board to create a grid – this will make stitching easier. Test the washi tape on a small area first to make sure it won’t pull off the paint.
04 Referring to the chart on page 79, start at the top of the board in one area of colour. Mark a small ’X’ with pencil in the centre of the squares to be stitched in that yarn colour – this makes it easier to see where the stitches will go.
05 Take the yarn colour that corresponds to the area chosen and cut a 3-4m (1181/8-157 ") length. The yarn will be doubled up, so the actual length will be 1.5-2m (591/8-787/8"). For smaller areas, less yarn can be used. Cutting the length too long will take longer to stitch through the holes, but cutting it too short will result in frequent restringing. Thread the yarn through the needle and leave it doubled up, making sure the ends are the same length.
06 To start the cross stitch pattern, bring the needle up from the back of the pegboard through the bottom left of one square. Take the needle down through the top right of the square, stitching one half of an ’X’ diagonally. If there are several stitches of the same colour in a row, continue across the row stitching half of each ’X’, catching the yarn tail underneath the stitches at the back to secure it.
07 At the end of the row, work back toward the first stitch, bringing the needle up through the bottom right hole and back down through the top left hole, as shown.
08 Once the chosen area of colour has been stitched, thread the needle and yarn through a few completed stitches at the back to secure the ends. This same technique should be used when finishing a yarn length.
09 Using the chart on page 81, pick a second section of colour and repeat Steps 4-8. Continue working in this way until the whole chart has been stitched and the pegboard design is complete.
10 Carefully brush off any extra dust from the board using your hand or a soft cloth. If you want to make sure the ends are extra secure at the back, you can stick them down with sticky tape.
11 To finish, mount the headboard to the wall behind the bed using drywall screws and anchors, and the drill. Because of the weight of the board, make sure to secure it in the two top corners, two bottom corners, and at the top centre.
MEET THE MAKER SARAH FREEMAN
Sarah lives in Utah, USA, with her husband and four kids. Yarn is her favourite, and she’s almost always crocheting. She also loves designing cross stitch patterns, reading, and eating cookies.
Find Sarah on Instagram @apricotpolkadot. www. apricotpolkadot.com