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The Cutting Table · a checklist answer

Can you cut a cushion to fit around a post, a pillar or bench legs?

Also asked as:A cushion with a notch for a window column.A 5 by 2 notch out of the 4 corners.

Yes, partner. A notch is three numbers, width, depth and where it starts, and once every notch has all three, the rest is drafting.

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The Pattern Engineer of Detroit · · Updated

Peach pentagon-shaped corner window seat cushion in an oak-lined nook with linen pillows and forest viewsSave
A peach pentagon cushion fills an oak corner nook between two forest-facing windows. The clipped front corner makes it easy to climb in.

The quick answer

Yes, a cushion can be cut with a notch to fit around a post, pillar, window column or bench legs. Mark each notch's width, depth and position along the edge on a drawing, add a few wide-angle photos, and the workshop redraws it as a template for your approval before anything is cut.

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Key facts

  • Notches and indents can be cut around pillars, posts, legs and window columns.
  • Each notch needs its width, depth and position along the edge.
  • Send a sketch with every measurement plus a few wide-angle photos.
  • The drawing is redrawn as a standardized template and confirmed with you before cutting.
  • Leg notches are ordered through the custom-shape (trapezoid) listing.
  • Ties are an optional extra; give each tie's position and length.
  • The zipper runs along the back edge, so say if a notch sits there.

Have it made

Have Nate’s workshop cut this for you

Send the numbers in inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angle. The workshop checks them with you, because foam has no undo button. — Nate

Leave your details and the workshop will call you to confirm measurements, fabric, foam and piping. No prices, dates or payment on this page: it is a request, not an order.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
The cover cloth: weave, color and care code.
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
The corded seam edge: matching, contrast or none.
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

What goes on the drawing

  • Every edge of the cushion, measured, including the short edges beside each notch.
  • Each notch: its width, its depth, and its position along the edge.
  • Which edge faces the wall. The zipper runs along the back, so flag any notch there.
  • A few wide-angle photos of the seat, bench or sill.
  • Tie positions and lengths, if you want ties; they are an optional extra.

What slows a notched cushion down

  • A notch with width and depth but no position: it can't be placed on the template.
  • Leg notches ordered on a rectangle listing. They go through the custom-shape listing.
  • Very narrow cut-outs. Some are too narrow to sew and aren't made.

How your sketch comes back

The workshop redraws your sketch as a standardized template, often in centimeters, and waits for your OK. One window seat came back as 87 in (221 cm) along the window edge, 84.5 in (215 cm) on the opposite edge, 1.25 x 2 in (3 x 5 cm) notches at both ends, and the depth dropping to 16 in (41 cm) at the ends. Check every number against your own tape before you say yes.

Once fabric and piping codes are chosen, a quoted piece is paid through a private custom listing. How many notches does your seat have? The notched cushion Pattern shows the common layouts on a banquette or sill.

A notched window seat cushion came back redrawn at 87 in on the window edge and 84.5 in on the opposite edge, with 1.25 x 2 in notches at both ends.

Nate
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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    My nook has a notch cut out of each corner. Can the cushion follow that shape?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, corners can be customized. Send a drawing with the sizes; it is redrawn in centimeters as a standardized template for you to confirm before production.

  2. A common question

    Can the cushion fit around square legs at the corners of my bench, with ties so it won't slip?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Leg-hugging shapes are made through the trapezoid listing, which asks for a simple drawing with exact measurements. For ties, say exactly where each goes and how long it should be; ties are an optional extra.

  3. A common question

    My bench has a small indentation at each end. Can you make two cushions split in the middle?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. The workshop confirmed the split point, exactly in the middle, asked whether the indentations sat on the back edge where the zipper goes, and wanted a bench photo to put the zippers on the right side.

Questions buyers ask next

Does a notch add to the price of a cushion?

Usually not on the custom-shape listing: the price follows the size range with the notch included. You pay the custom-shape rate rather than the rectangle rate, and a cut-out quoted individually around an obstacle has cost a little extra, shown in the quote.

Can you make a T-shaped cushion around a column?

Small inverted-T cushions are made from a sketch with every dimension and cut-out, in 2, 3 or 4 in thickness. Large T-shaped seats around columns are split into simpler pieces instead.

How narrow can a cushion notch be?

There is a limit: very narrow cut-outs can't be sewn and aren't made. Draw the notch at its true size, and the redrawn template will show it before anything is cut.