--- title: "Bolster Pillow Strap: Keeping a Bolster From Rolling Off" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/attach-bolster-strap-hook-and-loop/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Harlan Pruitt, The Elder of High Point" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/harlan/" published: "2026-08-25" updated: "2026-09-24" keywords: "bolster pillow strap, attach bolster to mattress, hook and loop armrest bolster, daybed bolster rolling off, round bolster pillow" --- # Will a bolster stay in place, or can it be attached? *A round bolster wants to roll; that is its nature. Here is how the workshop keeps one where you put it, and what to ask for before the order is cut.* Also asked as: The bolster rolls off the mattress.; My bolster is missing the strap. > **The quick answer:** A bolster ships loose, with no strap, unless you ask for one on the order. The shop can add a strap that holds a bolster to a mattress, or hook-and-loop fasteners that fix armrests to the base. Request it at order time; a replacement bolster with a strap once took about 1-2 weeks because the part had to be sourced. ![Light gray wide-wale corduroy bolster with a beaded corded edge lying against a white beadboard daybed back](https://cushionguide.com/media/bolster-pillows/light-gray-corduroy-bolster-beaded-edge-daybed-1600.webp "Chunky corduroy ribs run the length of the roll and wrap the end cap, finished with a bobbled cord at the seam.") ## Key facts - Bolsters are made without straps as standard. - All set pieces are separate and loose by default. - A strap can be added on request to fix a bolster to a mattress. - Armrests can be attached to the base with hook-and-loop fasteners on request. - A replacement bolster with a strap took about 1-2 weeks because the part had to be sourced. - Perfectly flat bolster ends are close to impossible because of the inner filling. ## Loose by default, fixed on request Every bolster and every piece of a set leaves the workshop loose. No straps, no fasteners, nothing tying one piece to the next. For plenty of homes that is right: you move a bolster, plump it, carry it to the other end of the [daybed](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/daybed-cushions/). If yours keeps rolling off, my friend, say so on the order. The shop can sew on a strap to hold a bolster to a mattress, or add [hook-and-loop tape](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#hook-and-loop-tape) so round armrests stay fixed to the base. It has to be asked for up front; it is not added by default. A seam is a promise, and so is a strap. Put it in writing and it gets made. Where does your bolster sit, on a mattress or against an arm? ## What to write on a bolster order - ✓ 'Add strap to fix bolster to mattress' if it rides on a daybed or bed. - ✓ 'Hook-and-loop on armrests' if round side pillows should stay on the base. - ✓ The diameter: 8 in (20 cm) is standard, from slim 4 in (10 cm) up to 10 in (25 cm). The [bolster size Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/bolster-pillow-size-diameter/) helps you choose. - ✓ The length; for armrests it usually matches the seat depth. - ✓ Piping: same fabric, or contrast piping in a second fabric. ## What a strap won't do - ✗ Make the ends perfectly flat; the filling inside rounds them a little. - ✗ Appear on its own; straps are never added unless the order asks. - ✗ Arrive overnight as a fix; a replacement bolster with a strap took about 1-2 weeks. ## The bolster that needed tying down A buyer in the US wrote to the workshop wanting a strap to hold a bolster on the mattress. The first one had been made the standard way, without a strap, because none had been asked for. The workshop made a replacement [bolster](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bolster-pillows/) with a strap, and it took about 1-2 weeks because the part had to be sourced. The same buyer asked whether the ends could be dead flat. The honest answer was close to impossible, with filling inside. Better to hear that before than after. > **Tailor's margin:** A bolster pillow ships loose with no strap; if the bolster must stay on the mattress, write 'add strap' on the order before it's made. > Bolsters and set pieces come loose by default; a strap or hook-and-loop fastener is added only when the order asks for one. > > — Harlan ## Buyer questions **A common question:** Can my bolster have a strap so it stays on the mattress? **The workshop's answer:** Yes, but only if it's requested on the order; bolsters are made without straps as standard. The shop has made a replacement bolster with a strap, which took about 1-2 weeks because the part had to be sourced. **A common question:** Are the round side pillows attached to the base, or loose? **The workshop's answer:** All the pieces in the set are separate. If you want the armrests to stay put, the shop can attach them with hook-and-loop fasteners on request. **A common question:** Can I get bolsters with contrast piping? **The workshop's answer:** Yes. Bolsters can have same-fabric piping, contrast piping in a second fabric, or be made fully in a contrast or stripe fabric, in any length and diameter, through a private custom order. **A common question:** Can you make a seat cushion set with matching bolsters and back pillows? **The workshop's answer:** Yes. Give the seat's length x depth x thickness and how many bolsters and back pillows you want, and the shop sizes them to match. Sets ship filled, and the quote states making and delivery times for that set. ## Questions buyers ask next ### Why can't bolster ends be completely flat? Because of the filling inside. A bolster is stuffed, and the filling presses gently against the end panels, so perfectly flat ends are close to impossible. Expect a softly rounded end rather than a drum-tight disc. ### What diameter should a bolster be? Standard is 8 in (20 cm), with an armrest bolster's length matching the seat depth. Any diameter can be made, from slim 4 in (10 cm) bolsters for thin cushions up to 10 in (25 cm), and long bolsters can be split in two. ### Can I add matching throw pillows in the same fabric? Yes, in any color and size, as covers only or filled with shredded foam or solid foam. Each piece has a minimum production price, so adding them to the original order costs less than ordering them later. ## Related at the atelier - [Can I get bolster pillows with piping or contrast piping?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/bolster-pillow-contrast-piping/): Yes, bolster pillows can have piping in the same fabric as the body or contrast piping in a second fabric, and a bolster can also be made entirely in a contrast or stripe fabric. - [Bolster Pillow Fabrics: Six Cloths and How to Order Them Right](https://cushionguide.com/readings/six-bolster-pillows-velvet-corduroy-stripe-studio-stack/): To order a bolster pillow right the first time, give the workroom the length, the diameter and the exact fabric code, not a color name. - [Wine Red Bolster Pillow on a Rattan Daybed: How It Will Age](https://cushionguide.com/readings/wine-red-bolster-herringbone-rattan-daybed-pothos/): A linen-look bolster on a sunny rattan daybed ages well when you plan for its daily life: turn it end over end so one side does not take all the window light, wash the zip-off cover at no more than… - [Bolster Pillow in Rust Corduroy for a Narrow Daybed](https://cushionguide.com/readings/rust-corduroy-bolster-self-piping-daybed-arm/): A bolster pillow makes a narrow daybed or window seat feel generous because it turns the hard end into a place to lean without taking inches from the seat's depth. - [Can I order matching bolsters later for a cushion I already bought?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/add-matching-bolsters-to-existing-cushion/): Yes, a matching bolster for an existing cushion can be made later, because the workshop keeps fabric stock and can cut the same fabric and color as your original order, even a year on. - [Can I buy just a bolster, or only a bolster cover?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/buy-single-bolster-or-bolster-cover/): Yes, you can order a single bolster or just a custom bolster cover. - [Bolster pillow sizes: choosing diameter and length for a seat or daybed](https://cushionguide.com/guides/bolster-pillow-size-diameter/) - [Tufted floor cushion couch sets: what's in the set and which size to choose](https://cushionguide.com/guides/tufted-floor-couch-set-sizes/) *Sit well. — Harlan* --- Written by Harlan Pruitt (https://cushionguide.com/masters/harlan/) 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/attach-bolster-strap-hook-and-loop/