Creating my own headboard cover

The headboard cover I made for the children’s beds were fleece , so not precious,
I used a staple gun to pin them on the back of the original headboard , not too many , so I could prise them out to wash the fleece

Staple gun

Staple gun
If it is on a flat board some padding and a cotton lining before the silky material would greatly improve the finished look and feel
Not used silk but have achieved good results with mock suede

We used curtain lining for the back of the headboard and yes, a heavy duty staple gun.

If it is on a flat board some padding and a cotton lining before the silky material would greatly improve the finished look and feel
Yes, otherwise the silk material might be too fragile.

We've used leatherette on one, suede effect fabric on another, both with wadding underneath.

I had some wood cut to headboard size. I glued a piece of thick foam on. Then used a staple gun to attach the fabric. Then covered 8 buttons with the same fabric and attached them by drilling 8 holes and pulling the buttons through and securing on the back.

If you want to be ab!e to wash it, could you just hem it and thread elastic through the hem and pull it over like a fitted sheet? The headboard itself you could attach to the wall so that it (a) stands a little away from the wall and (b) .can be easily lifted off. My father made us headboard like that when we were teens.

Sorry,you ask about backing material. A strong coarse material such as ticking would probably do.

I've made several headboards from scratch and it's not difficult, my current one is velvet. I cut the headboard to shape and size and spray glued foam to the board and then used wadding to cover the foam and pulled it tight and stapled it to the back of the board, this rounds off the edges of the headboard. I've never used anything to cover the back of the board. Why would you unless the bed is in the centre of the room and the back visible to everyone.

Why would you unless the bed is in the centre of the room and the back visible to everyone.
I suppose it just finishes it off.

Strong cotton curtain lining isn't expensive.

I have a shaped headboard with square posts with finials either end. I cut a piece of toile fabric to cover the front and a same sized piece of wadding and machined diagonal lines to hold the two together. I then cut a piece of strong cotton fabric the same size for the back and joined to the front piece at the shaped top with contrast piping in between. I hemmed both pieces and sewed tapes 3 inches in to the back and front pieces. I sewed velcro to the fronts inside side edge and stuck the other half of the velcro to the sides of the headboard.
It is very easy to slip the cover over the shaped top with the cotton down the back, smooth the sides to the velcro and tie the tapes underneath. Comes off for washing in seconds.

I have never made a headboard cover but have made a headboard. We just tacked the material having pulled it around the board done.