How to Make a Simple Indoor Bench Cushion

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Do you have an area in your home that needs a little softening? A cushion is a quick way to make a hard space into a comfy seat. Turn a window seat into a reading nook or a hard mudroom bench into a place to put your shoes on by adding a bench cushion. There are many different styles of bench cushions, and you can be as simple or as fancy as you want. In this tutorial, we're going to show you how to make a simple bench cushion without boxing.

Video Chapters:

Measuring Bench & Foam — 0:26 min.
Patterning Fabric — 1:52 min.
Basting Plates & Decorative Piping — 4:57 min.
Sewing Plates & Piping — 8:22 min.
Inserting Foam — 9:54 min.
Sewing Open End — 13:04 min.
Materials List — 16:44 min.

Materials List:

Foam (we used a medium density CushionRite^® Standard polyurethane foam #124231)
Home Decor Fabric
Seamstick 3/8" Basting Tape for Canvas #129
Sunbrella^® Decorative Piping Trim (Optional — we used Vellum #365198)
Tex 70 polyester or nylon thread
Cushion Wrap Silk Film #103933

Tools List:

Sailrite^® Edge Hotknife #103800
Sewing Machine
Scissors
Ruler
Tape Measure
Pencil
Roping Zipper Foot for Sewing Machine

Skipping the boxing is a great idea for beginners because it makes the sewing a little easier. But just because this cushion is simple doesn’t mean you can’t make it your own. For example, if you want to give the sides a little definition, you can add decorative piping to the perimeter of the cushion. Or, you can add batting to your cushion if you’d like a puffier, fuller look. Just be sure to account for the extra thickness of the batting when patterning your fabric pieces.

Since our cushion is in a mudroom, which is a high-traffic area in the home, we wanted a bright fabric that would also stand up to a lot of wear and tear. At Sailrite^®, we have thousands of high-quality, durable upholstery fabrics perfect for cushion DIYs. With brands like Sunbrella^®, P/Kaufmann, Covington and more, you're sure to find a stylish fabric that's perfect for your high-traffic cushion project.

Do you have a space in your home that could use a cushion? Tell us about it in the comments!