
DIY Bench Seat Cushion Cover Tutorial
There is a project that I put off for years, much to the dismay of my patient husband. A cushion cover for a 9-foot window seat in my office. Finally, I came up with a shortcut to make it easier, quicker, and less expensive. Introducing “Plan B”, my DIY bench seat cushion cover tutorial.
I originally envisioned a beautiful corded cushion cover with a zipper. That sounded nice, yes, but this is big, and quite frankly the thought of making it overwhelmed my brain. I was paralyzed.
You may also enjoy DIY Bench Cushion Cover 2
I decided on a much easier shortcut, an elastic cushion cover. You know, like a fitted sheet for a bed.
This simpler approach could build my confidence and most importantly, quiet the onlookers. The solution is not as fancy, but you can play with fun fabrics and add an assortment of pillows to enhance the look.
This type of cushion cover can be easily removed for washing, which makes it kid and dog-friendly. I think it looks great too!
Note I finally did make a bench cushion cover with cording. Click here for the tutorial! DIY Bench Cushion Cover 2
Are you interested in learning how to sew a cushion cover for a bench? Okay then, let’s get started.
DIY Bench Seat Cushion Cover Tutorial
Follow along for the full tutorial. Plus, here is what you will need to make your own fitted cushion cover.
Sewing Materials Needed
Decor Fabric
Foam Cushion 1 to 5 inches high
Flat Elastic 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch wide
Matching Thread
Scissors
A Sewing Machine
Pins
Straight Edge or Ruler
(affiliate links above in blue)
Explore More Cushion Tutorials
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Here are 2 other cushion cover tutorials on my site you may want to check out!
Okay, back to the tutorial …
How much Fabric is Needed for the Bench Cushion Cover
See the drawing below to help you determine the total amount of fabric you need.
Firstly, measure the width (A) and length (B) of the top surface of the cushion. In addition, measure the depth of your cushion.
Take that number and multiply it by 2.5. (Depth in Inches x 2.5 = C) Add this number (C) to the measurements on all 4 sides around the rectangle.
Now you are ready to add up the numbers that equal your fabric dimensions. Your fabric width will be C+A+C. The fabric length will be C+B+C. This will be in inches.
Shopping for Fabric
Next, the fun part; you need to find some fabric you love! When you are ready to shop, make sure to consider how often your seat cushion cover will get used and how much traffic it will get.
A safe and reasonably priced option is mid-weight cotton. I found mine at Hobby Lobby, with a 40% coupon from their web site. As a result, it was very reasonably priced.
You can also buy fabrics at other shops, big and small, or online, I’ve listed some great options below.
DIY Decorating Fabric and Batting Online Sources
spoonflower.com
fabric.com
hobbylobby.com
joann.com
michaels.com
Cutting the Fabric
Once you have the fabric home, first, you’ll want to pre-wash it. Either air dry or machine-dry, depending on how you will typically care for it.
It is important to have any shrinkage happen before you start sewing because if you don’t the seat cushion cover may not fit properly after washing.
Now cut the piece of fabric based on your measurements.
1 Lay your cut fabric down on your work surface with the right side down. Center the cushion on top of the cut fabric. With a straight edge or just eyeballing it.
2 Cut the corner square out/off of your fabric.
3 Next, cut the remaining 3 corners too.
Starting to Sew the Cushion Cover
Time to sew! Let’s do one corner at a time.
Making the Corner Pockets for the Cover
4 After cutting the “squares” out of each corner, fold each corner into itself by bringing the right sides of the fabric (newly cut edges) together. Now, pin and sew each of the 4 corners closed to create “pockets”. Trim each seam allowance down to 1/8″.
5 Time for a little bit of ironing. Make sure to set your iron to the correct heat for your fabric type. On each of the 4 corners, press the seam allowance to one side, from the right and wrong side of the fabric, to ensure the seam is laying nice and flat.
6 When you are done sewing and pressing each corner, insert each into your sewing machine, one at a time. From the outside/right side, sew closely to the gutter on top of the seam allowance to finish. Doesn’t that look nice? So professional.
7 Insert your foam cushion in the cushion cover and lay it on your work surface upside down.
We want to assure that all of the fabric tails on the bottom of the cushion are fairly equal. Sometimes they are already perfect, but if you are like me, they are always slightly off! Does this only happen to me?
8 Trim any sides that are uneven or unnecessarily long but don’t overdo it. We need some length to hold on to the cushion!
Note A couple of readers found it helpful to add bands across the center on the bottom to help hold the cushion on more securely.
Sewing in Elastic for the Bench Cover
9 Press a 1/4 inch fold under, all the way around the cover.
Time for elastic. You’ll need to use a zigzag stitch because that will stretch with your elastic, not break as a straight stitch would. Set your machine to zigzag, and set the stitch length to 2.5mm.
On the underside of the fabric, place the elastic over the raw edge of your fabric that you had folded and pressed earlier. The elastic will cover up and protect the raw edge so it does not fray as much over time.
Pick a starting point. Stitch forward and back a short distance, to reinforce the stitch. As you sew on top of the elastic, pull the incoming elastic straight, as much as you can.
Sew all the way around to your starting point. After that, sew back and forth over the spot you started to secure it again.
10 Nice work! Your cushion cover is ready!
Finding the Right Foam Insert
Next up, the foam cushion. This is where most of your cost will come in. They are kinda pricey, but the good news is you can recover and reuse them for years!
There are many cushion options, but for this type of elastic cover, most importantly you will need something with a little more heft and weight to “hold” on to the cover without curling up and caving in.
I am using a 4-inch depth piece of foam for my bench seat cushion cover, but I think 2- 3-inch depth would work also if the fabric is not too heavy.
Adding Batting to a Foam Cushion
Batting is optional, but it will soften the square edges of the cushion. Most importantly, it gives the finished cushion soft and smooth finished edges and improves the overall look.
You’ll need to cut the batting to fit and wrap around the foam, just on the top, front and back. In other words, you do not need to cover the bottom of the foam.
I used my sewing scissors for this too and it worked great. After you have cut the batting to fit, smooth it and stretch it to fit over the cushion. It stretches and forms very easily.
Secure it with a spray adhesive like Scotch Super 77 (affiliate link). This adhesive holds the batting in place. As a result, it’s much easier to put the cover on and everything is more secure when the cushion is in use.
Finishing Up your Cushion Cover
You may want to do a final pressing of the cushion cover before you put it on the newly wrapped foam. It should be as easy as making a bed. Wa-La. Done!
I hope you enjoyed learning how to make a fitted cushion cover! Please let me know if you make one.☺️
Thanks for stopping by!
xo,
Cindy
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Jackie Fretz
Posted at 17:53h, 18 JulyL0ve your tutorial! Very easy to understand! I am going to try this out!
cindy munson
Posted at 01:05h, 22 JulyThank you, Jackie! I am so glad it is helpful. Let me know how it turns out!
Amy Cherwin
Posted at 18:20h, 29 JulySuper helpful description of the corners. Thank you so much!!
cindy munson
Posted at 22:18h, 29 JulyAmy, you are so welcome! Good luck with your project.
Beth Mau
Posted at 14:50h, 10 AugustThanks for your pin! Your window seat is beautiful… However I can’t figure out from your pictures and your description how to do the corners. I sew a regular seam on the inside but then I do an outside seam as well? Do you have any close-up pictures? Thank you so much!
cindy munson
Posted at 01:32h, 11 AugustHi Beth! Sorry that it confused you! Technically, you do not need the “outside” seam, it is just for appearance’s sake. It is a topstitch that secures and flattens the seam allowance on the flip side, and just makes it look nice on the outside. Look closely at number 6. Let me know if that makes sense? If not I can take a better photo in daylight tomorrow!
Stephanie Haynes
Posted at 02:04h, 28 AugustTried it, and it looks great, so far. Was thinking I might just add the elastic at the corner and see how that works
cindy munson
Posted at 05:29h, 28 AugustStephanie, that is a really great idea! Please let me know how it works out? 🙂
Anna Reese
Posted at 00:47h, 02 SeptemberI loved this tutorial! I am a pretty novice sewer. I have always had an area of my house that I wanted a bench seat and 12 years later my husband finally built it. That meant I had to actually make the cushion and cover. I was super intimidated my zippers and piping. This worked great. I ended up using a thin quilt since my seat was so large and I had a hard time finding wide enough fabric. It was perfect!
cindy munson
Posted at 01:23h, 07 SeptemberAnna, I am so happy that it worked for you! Thanks for sharing your story!
Tracey Swant
Posted at 21:01h, 10 SeptemberThank you for sharing this DIY project. I have used the calculations above to determine how much fabric I will require, but I am not sure how to figure out how much elastic is needed? Thank you.
cindy munson
Posted at 02:57h, 11 SeptemberYou are very welcome Tracey! I’m so sorry that I don’t have a perfect calculation. I would suggest measuring the outside of the cushion and my guess is that it would be approximately half of that length, due to the elastic contracting. I always err on the side of caution and buy a little extra though!
Mel Taylor
Posted at 01:19h, 13 SeptemberI just made this for a bench for the waiting area of my office. It worked great, but the sides of mine kind of gapped away from the cushion instead of having a nice clean line. I think I cut the fabric a little too narrow (I was working with a fabric piece just barely big enough for the foam), so I just added three pieces of elastic across the back of the cushion to pull the edges in taut. It’s hard to describe, but basically the fabric is on one side, the foam is in the middle, and there are elastic straps running across the back. It’s a bit trickier to put the cover on and off, but it works, and it’s an easy enough fix. Thanks for the tutorial, and I just wanted to share in case anyone else needs to fix the same issue.
cindy munson
Posted at 15:58h, 13 SeptemberMel, thanks for sharing your experience! That sounds like the perfect solution and a great way to make the fabric smoother and more secure on the cushion. I would love to see it. I just need to figure out how people can upload their project pictures so we can all learn and enjoy.
I’m so glad you tried the tutorial and made it work for you. Thanks!☺️
Rachel West
Posted at 21:18h, 07 JuneThis is simple and beautiful! Thank you!
cindy
Posted at 15:54h, 08 JuneWow, thank you so much!
Kim Murphy
Posted at 08:23h, 23 JulyThank you so much for giving us the option of adding elastic to a seat cover. I would not have thought of that! I absolutely love your “she space”! It’s beautiful and the colors are perfect!
cindy
Posted at 15:40h, 23 JulyKim, my pleasure. I hope it helps you! Thanks SO much for your sweet note, it made my day!
Amal Alim
Posted at 23:28h, 27 JulyThanks for the tutorial, very instructive. I am not sure if I missed how to measure the elastic or it is not in there. Please advise me how to measure the elastic, Many thanks.
cindy
Posted at 05:09h, 28 JulyHi Amal! The length of your elastic will depend on your cushion and how far your fabric will wrap around underneath your foam insert. To be safe, I would purchase enough to go around the perimeter of your unfinished ends. See photo number 7, for reference. You will be stretching the elastic as you sew, so you technically you will need even less. Hope this helps!
SUWARNA B. BANJARA
Posted at 02:09h, 01 AugustHi
Followed your tutorial and it was easy-peasy to understand. Thanks much, I am making covers for my recliner fabric sofas and want them to fit like a glove.
Thanks so much
Suwarna
cindy
Posted at 03:47h, 01 AugustSuwarna, that is fabulous news! I am so happy that it helped you. Thanks for letting me know!
Marilyn
Posted at 19:29h, 07 SeptemberCindy, could you please share where you purchased the foam cushion for this project, or recommend a good resource.
Thanks.
cindy
Posted at 00:54h, 08 SeptemberHi Marilyn, I bought the Airtex High-Density Foam from JoAnn Fabrics. It looks like it is still available in 3, 4, and 5-inch heights. Hope that helps.☺️ Let me know if you make a cushion cover!
Laura M Noble
Posted at 23:00h, 15 SeptemberCindy how do I curve my corners so it will work on my rounded edge cushion?
cindy
Posted at 02:34h, 16 SeptemberHi Laura! There are 2 ways you could go here. The first & easier approach would be to follow the original instructions, but before sewing in the elastic, you could “try it on” over your insert. If the corners are too baggy you could take additional fabric “in” on the corners.
OR… For a better fit, you could cut 2 pieces. 1) Cut your top fabric piece to match your cushions top, curved corners & all (plus a seam allowance). 2) Next cut one long strip (or joined strips), plus a seam allowance for the total height (the sides & portion that wraps around the bottom edge of the cushion.) Then with right sides together, sew the top piece to the side piece, all the way around. Close the side piece in the back if possible so it does not show. Now just continue to sew in the elastic.
Hope that makes sense!? Good luck! Let me know how it goes!
Emily St Kay
Posted at 05:02h, 23 NovemberThank you so so much for this tutorial. It was so simple and easy to follow but the results are the polished professional look I was hoping for! It was so easy to make I am probably going to turn into the person who has many different covers based on the season. Thank you!
cindy
Posted at 05:28h, 23 NovemberEmily, you just made my day! I am so glad that you could understand the instructions easily and best of all, you had success! Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Leah Lopez
Posted at 23:24h, 25 JanuaryThank you for this! I too was overwhelmed at the thought of a full cushion cover but was relieved at finding this option. I finished my first one today, however, it is super loose., especially on the long edges. I’m thinking I misunderstood step number 8. There still seemed to be so much corner fabric. The only other thing I can think of is that I didn’t pull the elastic tight enough as I was doing the zigzag stitch. But, I pulled it pretty tight. So, I may add the back straps as your one commenter did.
cindy
Posted at 02:15h, 26 JanuaryHi Leah! The tightness of the elastic could be a part of it. Next time, it might also help to have a deeper “lip” underneath. I might try a casing for the elastic also, instead of sewing it in. Then threading the elastic and tightening as needed. I’ll make a post when I do it!
The back straps are a great idea too, especially for the really long cushions. Thanks for the reminder, I will add that to the post. Thanks for sharing your experience, it takes a village! 😁
Ruth Kreis-Orkoulas
Posted at 14:09h, 26 FebruaryHi Cindy,
I am in process of starting this project. I’ve looked at many DIY cushions for my new Ikea Kallax hack banquette and yours seems the most straightforward and well-thought out. Hey, if you don’t use batting you don’t even have to worry about the cushion sliding around because the foam itself will keep it in place!
My question: What is the seam allowance when you’re sewing the corners – I see your instructions to trim to 1/8 inch but no seam allowance instructions. Thanks. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
cindy
Posted at 16:43h, 26 FebruaryHi Ruth! Yay, I’m so excited that you are making a cushion cover! Most people use seam allowances between 1/4-5/8 inch. It is totally, always up to you. I usually decide based on the fabric (does it fray? will it be secure?) or the amount of fabric I have (will I run out?). For my cushions, I usually stay on the conservative side and use 5/8 inch for secure seams that I can count on.😁 Hope that helps. Good luck!