How to Use the Sailrite® Fabric Calculator
At Sailrite®, we pride ourselves on being the only DIY resource you need. Not only do we have the fabric, foam, notions, tools and sewing machines to sew everything from boat covers and upholstery to leather goods and more, but we also have incredibly valuable free DIY tutorials and educational content. One of the resources we’re most proud of is our free Fabric Calculator. There’s nothing else like it on the internet. We’ll explain more about this valuable DIY tool, how to use it and what makes it so great.
The Sailrite Fabric Calculator takes the guesswork out of planning for your next DIY project. We have individual calculators for making cushions, pillows, awnings, wire-hung canopies, patio umbrellas, sling chairs, window treatments, sail shades and more. All you have to do is enter the dimensions of your project, the width of your chosen fabric, how many items you’re making and some other basic information. The calculator automatically determines your required fabric yardage to make the ordering process easier than ever. Some of the calculators even include a list of other supplies you’ll need to make your project, including basting tape, zippers, recommended thread and even hardware.
One of our most popular calculators is the Box Cushion Calculator. Box cushions are a fun project, and our calculator makes this DIY even easier and more beginner-friendly for new sewers. We've updated our Box Cushion Calculator to make it even more helpful and useful.
The updated calculator allows you to place cushions of different sizes on the same rendering. It also updates the list of material quantities when you add or delete a cushion. Now you can move and rotate each plate, boxing strip and zipper plaque around to gain the best fabric usage and match a pattern repeat if your chosen fabric has one. You can also pick between "seamed" boxing and "continuous" boxing. This new and improved fabric calculator will take all the guesswork out of ordering and cutting the materials for your next box cushion project.
In the video below, we demonstrate how to use the updated Box Cushion Calculator and walk you through the process of adding your cushion dimensions and fabric width. We also show you how to add multiple cushions to the same render and how to rotate panels and boxing strips to get the most usage from your fabric yardage to save you money.
Did you find this video useful? Have you used the Sailrite Fabric Calculator to make projects? Let us know what you think of the calculator and what you've made with it in the comment section below!