Handmade Outdoor Cushions! {+ Tips to Make Your Own!}

When Drew and I first got our bid accepted on our house, we were fortunate enough to negotiate on some of the furniture already with the home. Some of those items were the outdoor chair set and fire pit.

After living in Hoboken for five years, we were SO excited to have a backyard of our own - and having furniture already there was a huge deal (especially when we had a whole house to furnish!). The only problem was the cushions that came with the chairs. They had been left outside in snow and rain, and gotten gross, to be completely honest.

We started looking up new cushions, but quickly discovered the selection is slim pickings and expensive! The original set was from Target, and the only cushions that we could find to fit were so boring. If you haven't noticed based on this blog yet, I hate boring!

So I planned on making a new set. This was my only option right? I was extremely nervous to make a set because with every new project, there's a chance it won't work out and the investment in this was pretty big. We also had our Housewarming Party coming up and we NEEDED these cushions done!

Thankfully everything worked out- and I love them! We did a lot of research to complete these and I wanted to share some tips and supplies if you want to make your own!

Making Cushions

I read a few blogs and some makers recommend 1 yard per cushion, and since I had 5 bottoms and 5 tops, I bought 12 yards of fabric. After cutting out the bottoms I thought I way overbought. I was actually freaking out because I was going to have so much material left over. But after cutting out all the fabric, I didn't have that much fabric left after all! So I do think the 1 yard per cushion is a good rough estimate. (I always tend to buy a few extra yards if I mess up, or want to make additional pieces.)

We still don't have couches so I was able to spread out my fabric!

{Scroll to the bottom of the page for all my links!}

The hardest thing to find was foam for the bottom seats.  I checked out the foam at JoAnns but it was not in the budget for me, as they wanted $50 per foam cushion! So we went the difficult route and "diy'd it".

Drew and I found thick foam on Amazon that we would be able to cut down to the size we needed. Originally I wanted 4" foam, but he ordered 5" foam, so our cushions are really thick! To cut the foam, we used a hand saw.

Amazon was also the go-to place for zippers. Since we wanted to be able to re-use the foam if we ever got bored of the fabric, I wanted each cushion to have an invisible zipper to change things up. I found a 20 pack and they were perfect.

Bottom Cushions:

Couch: 70" long x 26" wide. Foam: 5" x 24" x 72"

Using these measurements, we cut the foam down to 5" x 24" x 23".

We determined that each cushion seat would be 24" x 23" (as that was keeping in line with the size of the foam). With a 1/2" seam allowance for each cushion, I cut out the following:

(2 x) 25" x 24" (top and bottom)

(2 x) 25" x 6" (long sides)

(1x) 24" x 6" (one short side)

(1x) 24" x 7" (short side with zipper)

I cut out 5 sets of the above, and did an assembly line style to make them. I started by inserting all the zippers. I cut each 24" x 7" piece in half (lengthwise) and sewed in the zipper. This band needs to be a little wider because the zipper alters the size. Sew your four side pieces together (with 1/2" seam allowance), alternating long side and short side to form a rectangle. Then you attach the tops and bottoms. I wrote out a mini tutorial to show this method, as I've used it in handbag making too!

Sewing Boxed Corners

1. With each seam, leave 1/2" from end of stitch line. (If your seam allowance is 5/8", you will leave 5/8" free.) Backstitch at end.

2. Line up sewn corner to the corner of piece you are attaching.

3. Pin one corner together, pull the other corner away from seam. (do not catch other end in stitching)

4. Sew seam until you reach the end of your initial stitching line made in step 1. Backstitch.

5. Adjust the other side of your corner. You will now be able to line this corner properly, and start stitching where the other stitching line stopped. Continue stitching.

6. Turn corner to right side out, and you are finished!

I'm sure there are many other ways to do this, but I wanted something quick and easy!

If you are using this method, be sure to leave your zipper open halfway to be able to turn the cushions right side out!

(Finished cushion showing the invisible zipper side.)

Top Cushions:

The old cushion set had a basic pillow on top, and we decided to mimic the look. I made each pillow with poly-fil and a broadcloth case. It is not weather proof - but this was the fabric I had on hand and I wanted to be as economical as possible. We also don't plan on leaving these cushions out, but I still wanted a inner shell before the pillow case, so it will be easy to make new ones.

I bought a 10 lb box of poly-fil, and after stuffing the first pillow, again I thought I way overbought, but it turned out to be the perfect amount!

I made a test pillow first in the size of our previous cushions and they came out way too small! I increased the size of the pillow and it was perfect!

The finished pillow was 23" x 27". (This made the fabric 24" x 28")

(Invisible zipper on top cushion, inner pillow and finished set!)

I am so happy with the way they turned out, and now that I have my measurements down pat (and recorded on this blog!) I can make new cushions whenever we want a change! The only thing I would change for next time is adding a small handle to the back or side of the bottom cushions so they are easier to take in and out! (Leaving this tip here for myself! =p)  Here are all the links!

Supplies

Amazon: 

Foam : Get here

Zippers: Get here

JoAnn Fabric: 

Fabric: Get Here 

(The fabric is originally $21.99/ yd, I bought mine for $10.99/yd and used a 20% off my total purchase coupon!)

Poly-Fil: Get here 

(I used a 50% off coupon for my fil, but it's currently on sale now!)

Broadcloth: Get here

This post turned out a lot longer than expected, but I do hope it encourages you to make your own cushions if you've been thinking about it! Or using this fabric for another project because it is so beautiful!