I have seen many such headboards on home decorating shows and in magazines. They usually wrap the board & foam with batting before stapling on the fabric. Try doing a Google or HGTV search and I am sure you will find instructions and styles. Good luck with your project! I am thinking about making one also...trying to save $$$ in a build that has gotten away from us!!

I made one for a single bed for my daughter. I took a piece of plywood the width of her bed and the height above it that she wanted. Then I got a piece of foam online for really inexpensive that went down below the mattress. I then wrapped the foam with batting pretty to make it soft for her to lean against. She does her homework against it all the time.
The hardest part is to make sure the corners are folded right and the fabric is stretched well before you staple it all down. She has had it for 4 or 5 years and it still looks great!

I made one double/full for my daughter apx. 3 years ago. I got a piece of plywood from Home depot and got them to cut to exact size I needed. Then got a foam cut to size from foam supply factory, as for batting I just got them from local fabric/upholstery store.

It's fairly easy to make, however, I would totally recommand to get a auto staple gun, as mine was the simple one. It really hurt my hand after all that stapling.

Good luck, it's a good fun and easy project.

Still there?
2 tips: FIrst, I don't think you really just want to prop it up against the wall. It's going to shift, wobble and just won't look "right." There are pieces of hardware you can get to adhere it to the wall that won't leave huge holes in the wall (in case you are a renter or tend to change your mind).

Go to the website www.hangmanproducts.com and look for the hardware that's 2 pieces for hanging mirrors; one piece goes on the wall, the other on the headboard, and they fit together (you "hook" the one on the headboard over the one you put on the wall). A brilliant invention! (No, I didn't invent it! Nor do I have a financial role in it.)

Second, the HGTV show "Myles of Style" -- episode about a "Boutique Bedroom" -- showed a very cool, simple upholstered (yes, padded--that's impt for the luxurious, not skimpy, feel!) headboard. She used 3 horizontal panels of a beautiful upholstery fabric in complimentary colors--really beautiful and a simple look. The HGTV site for her specific show has a video of the room (and probably a rerun date for the show itself).

Here is a link to making your own headboard. I have also seen the mirror hardware at lowes. It is where the picture hanging supplies are..

Here is a link that might be useful: headboard