--- title: "Add Fabric Swatches to an Order: Codes Open Until It Ships" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/add-swatches-to-existing-order/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/" published: "2026-03-31" updated: "2026-09-24" keywords: "add fabric swatches to order, change fabric sample order, fabric swatch with cushion order, pantone fabric match for cushions" --- # Can I add swatches to my cushion order, or change my sample codes? *Yes, and more often than buyers expect. The only deadline that matters is the day the parcel leaves the workshop.* Also asked as: We'd like to change our samples; Send a couple of samples with my order > **The quick answer:** Yes: sample codes can be changed or added until the sample order ships, and a few swatches can often travel inside your cushion parcel if the codes arrive before dispatch. One sample order was switched to a new list of nine codes, and another buyer had five small swatches tucked into a cushion order. Unlisted codes, such as corduroy greens, can join too. ![Five dotted chenille cushions in charcoal, rose, green, taupe and cream, stacked by size with navy and mustard piping](https://cushionguide.com/media/atelier/five-shape-dotted-chenille-cushion-stack-oak-bench-1600.webp "Squares, a trapezoid and long rectangles share one pile to show that any outline can be cut to order.") ## Key facts - Sample codes can be changed after you order, until the samples ship. - Extra codes, even unlisted ones, can be added to an open sample order. - A few swatches can travel in a cushion order's parcel. - Swatch codes must reach the shop before the parcel ships. - Send a Pantone reference and the shop replies with a photo of its closest fabric. ## A sample order stays open until the box is taped A swatch is the most honest square of cloth you will ever hold. The workshop treats a sample order as open until it ships, so the list can still change. One buyer rewrote theirs entirely, and the parcel went out with a new list of nine codes. Adding works the same way. Codes that are not on any chart can join as well: one buyer asked for [corduroy](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/corduroy/) greens that were not listed, and they were added. Greens with a wale are hard to judge on a screen, so that was a wise request. ## Five swatches in a cushion parcel Already ordered a cushion? A few small swatches can ride in the same box. One buyer had five added this way, to choose the next pillows against the real cushion rather than a photograph. Samples are normally sold at shipping cost, and the ride-along swatches were a courtesy, not a listed option, so ask rather than assume. The codes have to arrive before dispatch. Once the parcel is sealed, they wait for another order. The [swatch ordering Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/fabric-swatches-before-ordering/) covers the first sample order from scratch. ## Put all of this in one message - ✓ Which order the swatches belong to: the sample order or the cushion order. - ✓ Every [fabric code](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#fabric-code) written exactly as it appears on the chart. - ✓ Any unlisted color described in words, such as corduroy in a deep green. - ✓ A Pantone reference, if you are matching paint or a rug. - ✓ All of it before dispatch, never after. ## When a Pantone chip is where you start Some of you arrive holding a paint card or a Pantone number. Send the reference, and the shop answers with a photo of its closest fabric. That photo narrows the field; the swatch settles it. Daylight never lies; your screen sometimes does. Judge the square by a window at midday, my friends, then again at dusk, as the [screen versus daylight Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-color-screen-vs-daylight/) describes. Which green are you chasing: moss, olive or bottle? > **Tailor's margin:** A fabric sample order stays open until it ships: codes can be swapped or added, even unlisted ones like corduroy greens. > One buyer asked for five small fabric swatches to be added to a cushion order, and they shipped in the same parcel because the codes arrived before dispatch. > > — Élodie ## Buyer questions **A common question:** Can I change the codes on my sample order, or add swatches to an order I already placed? **The workshop's answer:** Yes. A sample order was updated to a new list of nine codes on request, and five small swatches were added to another buyer's cushion order so they shipped together. **A common question:** Can you add unlisted colors to my sample order, and find something close to a Pantone green? **The workshop's answer:** Yes. Extra codes, including unlisted corduroy greens, were added to an open sample order. Samples are normally sold at shipping cost, though a few rode free with a cushion order when the codes came in before dispatch. For a Pantone reference, the shop sends a photo of its closest fabric. **A common question:** How big are the swatches? Can I get a bigger piece? **The workshop's answer:** Standard swatches are small, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 in (3 to 4 cm) square, enough to judge color and texture. Velvet can be sent as 4 in (10 cm) squares on request, and some orders arrived around 6 in (15 cm) square. Otherwise, ask for photos of finished cushions. **A common question:** How long do fabric samples take to reach me? **The workshop's answer:** Samples are small and travel quickly, but dispatch and courier times change with the season. Ask the workshop to confirm the current timing when you order them, and allow extra room in busy periods. ## Questions buyers ask next ### Is there a deadline for adding swatch codes? Yes: dispatch. Codes that reach the shop before a sample order or a cushion order ships can still be changed or added. Once the parcel is handed over, new codes need a fresh sample order. ### Do swatches packed with a cushion cost extra? Samples are normally sold at shipping cost. When buyers asked for a few swatches inside a cushion parcel, the shop included them as a courtesy, so mention it in your message rather than treating it as a listed option. ### What if the color I want isn't on any chart? Describe it anyway. Unlisted codes, such as corduroy greens, have been added to open sample orders. If you have a Pantone reference, the shop replies with a photo of its closest fabric so you can decide which squares to request. ## Related at the atelier - [Can I order fabric swatches before I buy a cushion?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/order-fabric-swatches-before-buying-cushion/): Yes, you can order fabric swatches before buying a cushion: buy the Fabric Sample option once, from the top of a cushion listing's size menu or the fabric-samples listing, and write the exact codes… - [Is the sofa corduroy the same as the cushion corduroy, and which swatch do I order?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/sofa-corduroy-swatch-cor-codes/): No, the corduroy on the floor sofas is a different fabric from the corduroy swatches on the tufted bench cushion listing. - [Is the fabric sample price per swatch, or do I get several colors for one price?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/fabric-sample-price-per-swatch-or-per-order/): The fabric sample fee is charged once per sample order, not per swatch. - [Matching fabric from a previous order: dye lots, add-ons and discontinued colors](https://cushionguide.com/guides/dye-lots-matching-cushions-later/): Matching fabric from a previous order can come very close but is never guaranteed identical, because every dye lot shifts slightly in tone. - [Black Mudcloth-Style Bench Cushion on an Open Wood Frame](https://cushionguide.com/readings/black-mudcloth-style-bench-cushion-floral-wallpaper/): On an open-frame bench with no lip, a custom bench cushion must match the bench top exactly, because any overhang shows. - [Window Seat Cushion in Dusty Blue Bouclé with a Caramel Welt](https://cushionguide.com/readings/dusty-blue-window-seat-cushion-caramel-welt/): To measure a built-in window seat for a cushion, take the width wall to wall at the back and again at the front, and the depth from the wall to the outer edge of the top, then decide whether the… - [How to order fabric swatches that actually settle the decision](https://cushionguide.com/guides/fabric-swatches-before-ordering/) - [What to write in a custom cushion order note: sizes, codes and extras](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-personalization-note/) *With color and care — Élodie* --- Written by Élodie Marchand (https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/answers/add-swatches-to-existing-order/