How To Make Chair Cushions? Top Full Guide 2022

Do you want to know how to make chair cushions? Let’s read our article.

Today, Focal Upright will provide step by step to make two types of DIY chair cushions: normal chair cushions and leather chair cushions.

Let’s get started.

How To Make Chair Cushions

Make Cushion Covers Pattern

Measure your bar stool or chair first. Any kind of paper, or cardboard, will work for the pattern. Because it was stiff, I used a large piece to cover the chair’s curved seat.

To ensure that my pattern was symmetrical I removed half the cushion shape, then flipped it over and repeated it.

Grab a piece of paper. To calculate yardage, you’ll need to make notes about all your patterns pieces.

Five pattern pieces are required. You will need five pieces total: the top, bottom, and side panels.

Important: Add a seam allowance. This is the area that lies between the raw fabric edge, and the stitching line for the material hand sewed.

You can get them as small as 1/4 inch (6.4 mm), or as large as several inches. It’s your choice how wide you want to make them. I use a seam allowance of 5/8 inches (1.5cm).

The foam insert that you have purchased will determine the height of your cushion.

When measuring, take note of how long the ties will be. Add all dimensions to each shape you create on a piece of paper. This will help you decide how much fabric to buy.

These dimensions and your drawing can be taken to your local fabric shop. The staff at your local fabric store will assist you in determining the best layout for the pattern and the amount of fabric that you require.

How to Select and Prepare Your Cushion Fabric

Let’s move on to the next step. Now it’s time for you to order your fabric.

You should consider how often the chair/bar stool will be used. A fabric that is washable and easy to clean may be the best choice. To protect your fabric, you could Scotchgard it. You might also want to contrast your cushion’s fabric with the ties.

If you plan to wash the cover, you should pre-wash your fabric once you bring it home. Pre-washing your fabric will help prevent any future problems with the fit if it shrinks. Gather all the other materials. Here are the items you will need.

• Fabric to Cushion & Tie
• Cutting Board or safe surface
• Straight Pins
• Matching Thread
• Pencil with Eraser
• Zipper foot
• Paper Scissors
• Sewing scissors
• or Rotary Cutter for Fabric
• Straight Edge to draw the pattern
• Sewing Machine (You can also use hand sewing)
• Paper or Cardboard to Pattern
• Foam Cushion
• Sharpie Marker
• Electric Knife
• Iron Rowenta

Now it’s time for you to cut your fabric strip. Layout your pattern pieces. Before you cut, think carefully. Make sure to consider the direction of the stripes or pattern, and then connect the cushions on the other side.

Add Ties To The Chair Pad Cover

Let’s start by preparing the fabric ties. Fold each tie in half lengthwise, with right sides together. Stitch along the length of each tie, closing one end and leaving the other open.

Press the button to turn the tie right-side out. To square it up, pull each corner with a pin. Tuck the seam allowance underneath the open end and press close. To finish, topstitch both ends.

One continuous strip should be long enough to wrap around the cushion.

You can make multiple strips if you don’t own one that is long enough. Simply pin the ends together and then stitch. If possible, make sure the seams are in the back of the cushion. Press the seams open after sewing.

Next, attach the top cushion piece to both sides of the side panel. Continue sewing all the way around. Secure the sides of the panel by stitching them together at the back edge.

Sewing the Cushion Cover Fabric Tie

Attach the tie in the middle to the cushion’s back corners. Attach the tie to your cushion using a vertical line. To reinforce, stitch again.

Attaching the Cushion Cover’s Top-Back Panel

Sew the right sides together. Backstitching reinforces the dots at both ends. The tails should be long enough to pass through the cover and hide the foam inside.

Press the seam open after you have finished stitching. The cover should have two tails, one at each end. This temporary fix is to ensure that they don’t get caught in the stitching during the next step.

Sewing the Bottom Panel to The Cover

Now stitch the bottom edge to your side panel. But this time, don’t sew between dots. To reinforce the raw edges, backstitch each dot. These areas must be strong because they are subject to a lot of pressure when the foam pad is inserted.

Finishing the Cover

Now it’s time for you to iron your own chair cushion cover. If possible, place the cover on an ironing board. As many seams open as you can. This will give your cover a beautiful finished look. Use a tailor’s knife or a rolled-up athletic sock to press the corners. Clean is preferred. Press the raw edge of the side panel flap in the back.

Cutting Foam Insert

Next, you will need to cut foam chair cushions to your desired size. This is so easy and fun!

Joann Fabrics was where I bought my cushions. With a coupon, I paid about nine dollars for each foam insert. For my Pottery Barn kitchen barstools, the Airtex 2x15x17-inch size was perfect. The inserts can be reused and recovered as long as the chairs are mine.

Place the pattern piece to make the top cushion directly onto the foam inside. Use a Sharpie to trace around the perimeter of the pattern on the foam.

Then, hold the knife vertically and cut along the outline. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

This does not destroy your electric knife. Your knife can be used again for food.

Our knife was a wedding gift that we received 29 years ago. It has seen many Thanksgiving turkeys and Easter hams over the years, as well as a few cushions. (Don’t tell your family. It cleans well, so don’t worry.)

Now it’s time for you to cover your cushion with the cover. Now fold the foam in half and flatten it. Then, gently insert the foam into the corners, smoothing out any bumps. Continue working on it until the cover is fully filled.

My only suggestion is to take a deep, slow breath. This takes some patience and a little bit of finesse. You can do it!

Finish The Back Of The DIY Chair Cushion

There are many options for closing the cushion’s back. You can choose what method you prefer.

The back of the cover is usually not visible so you can do what is easiest. You can wash the cover by choosing a simple closure.

There are many options. You could attach Velcro strips to the flaps and snaps to them, or add safety pins to secure them.

How to Attach Cushions to Chairs Without Ties

This is how I used a retail trick to keep the fabric from falling from the chairs. They don’t have ties. Carpet tape was used. Carpet tape is not permanent and slightly tacky, but it has enough “stickiness” to prevent the cushions from falling off as you move around in the chair. The bond between the tapes and cushions becomes stronger the more people sit on them.

Supplies needed:

• Carpet tape
• Scissors

As shown, place strips of carpet tape on the seat.

2. Place a cushion on a chair by pressing down. To help the cushion contact the tape, place the chair on your stomach.

All done. I made five covers, which were a small production run. They took me just one afternoon to create. If one of them gets dirty, I can wash it and launder it.

How To Make A Leather Seat Cushion

Before we move on to the tutorial, let us talk about the metal chairs.

When we moved into this house, we bought a set for four (as you can get 4 sets for $150 or less). This house is 3800 square feet. It was a move from a 1400 square foot house. When we moved in, there was virtually no furniture. These chairs were a great purchase and could be used in the living, dining, and kitchen areas. These chairs are ideal for moving outside, keeping the company at the table during playdates, and as an extra set of chairs.

They don’t have padding, which is a problem. I did not want to pad the chair when our little boy was younger. I don’t think it is necessary. As he grew older, I began to yearn for a more comfortable chair seat.

I knew that I wanted a leather chair seat with a medium-toned color and I also wanted something with some flair. I was looking for something that would have imperfections or show them. It should fit into our child-friendly household and not cause me concern if it is scratched.

Let’s move on to the tutorial. These are very easy to make, taking only 30 minutes for each chair cushion. Sewing is something I am still learning, so I hope you are too!

Supplies Required For Leather Seat Cushions

• Chairs
• Leather Machine Needles
• Upholstery Thread
• Upholstery leather
• Fabric Scissors
• Foam (I wrote a huge post about affordable foam so make sure to check it out!)
• Sewing Machine

Modern DIY chair cushions

• Mark the template line
• Make a template for fabric and foam sizing
• Make a template from foam
• All sides, cut fabric 1/2 inch larger than the template
• Start sewing by joining the pieces of fabric together.
• You should sew three sides, and then half of the fourth.
• Turn the fabric so that the exterior is exposed
• Verify the fit of the foam
• Use an upholstery needle to hand stitch the side remaining.

If you can make a pillow, you can make leather seat cushions for chairs. It is important to remember that leather is more difficult than work with thinner fabrics. My older sewing machine struggles with leather, but it does the job. Just a quick FYI for those who have never worked with leather.

This project is definitely worth a try. However, I am open to suggestions if you don’t have the skills or prefer buying chair cushions. Here are some great options if you prefer a leather chair cushion.

This project, as I mentioned earlier was one I completed a few years back. It was a great project, but I didn’t like the way that the white chairs looked in our space. It’s a great way to give your space more personality, to make them more comfortable, and to improve the aesthetic of your dining room. In our vintage dining room, we still have black metal dining chairs.

Last year, I added fur seat cushions to them. This really made the room feel cozier. I could have put round leather seat cushions in there too, but we found the fur ones on our trip and fell in love.

I hope you found this helpful. I would love to see your seat cushions!

Conclusion

It seems to be easy to make chair cushions. Besides, designing your own product will bring you feelings of happiness and experience. We hope our blog can help you make great chairs for your family. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. We will assist you to solve your problems.