Boxy chair cushion

Doesn’t your tushy deserve a little cushy? Chair cushions can get rather pricey when you multiply them times all the chairs at your table. Well, lucky you. You can sew, and it’s not hard to make your own. All you need is fabric and foam! I’ll show you how to make one style that you can customize to your own chairs.

Supplies

(Click fabrics for direct links for purchase at Warehouse Fabrics Inc.)

Authenica Meadow - AUAMEW

Foam
1 yard of fabric makes about two chair cushions. I bought one piece of 2″x15″x17″ foam and cut it to size for each cushion.

The pattern

For this cushion, I used a rectangle shape. I measured the size of the chair and cut out fabric pieces accordingly for the top and bottom of the cushion (adding 1/2 inch seam allowances all the way around). I then measured each edge and, adding on the depth of the foam cushion plus seam allowance, I cut out side pieces.
For best results, your piece of foam should be slightly larger than your cushion cover. This ensures your cushion cover will be nicely filled out and not baggy. I would add about 1/2″ in each direction.
You could also make a cushion that isn’t a plain rectangle but is wider in the front than in the back.

The process

First, make your piping. There is a piping tutorial here. To figure how much you need, measure around the edge of your cushion and add a little extra just to be safe. Multiply this by the number of cushions you’re making.
1. (left) Starting on the back edge of your cushion cover, start sewing the piping. Leave a couple of inches at the end free. When I got to the corners, I snipped a little into the seam allowance to help it turn the corner.

2. (center) Go all the way around until you get near the beginning.

3. (right) Unstitch a bit of the piping cover to reveal the cord inside. I know that picture may be a bit obscured by the sidebar, but click it for a bigger view.

1. (left) Trim the cord on the top piece so that it will line up with the cord on the bottom piece when they are placed together. Also, turn up the raw edge a little bit.

2. (center) Place the bottom piping piece flush with the top piping piece inside of the opened top piece.

3. (right) Using the piping foot, continue sewing over the join.

You’ll also need to make your tie straps, using the non-turn strap tutorial here. I made two straps 2×18 inches and finished either end of them by turning over a half inch before sewing (see tutorial). If you’re using a thin fabric, you can just fold the strap in half  and sew as shown in this picture. Since this fabric was heavy, it created too much bulk. So I just cut the straps in half and put the raw edge in the seam.

If your fabric is quite heavy, you may want to consider a more lightweight, coordinating fabric for the ties, or maybe some ribbon. The thicker the fabric, the harder it is to tie them nicely.

Take your side pieces and sew them into a square alternating short and long pieces if your cushion is not a square. Then sew them to the top cushion piece using the piping foot.

Take the bottom square of fabric and sew in the same manner to the other side of the side pieces, leaving most of the back of the cushion open. Sew a few inches near either corner and leave the rest open to insert the foam.

Turn right-side out and push out corners. Insert the foam and hand sew the opening closed.

Other views

(Click for bigger views)