--- title: "Cushion with notch cutout for a post, pillar or bench legs" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-notch-cutout-post-pillar-legs/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Nate Kowalski, The Pattern Engineer of Detroit" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/" published: "2026-02-20" updated: "2026-09-24" keywords: "cushion with notch cutout, notched bench cushion, cushion around post, window seat cushion notch, bench leg cutout cushion" --- # Can you cut a cushion to fit around a post, a pillar or bench legs? *Yes, partner. A notch is three numbers, width, depth and where it starts, and once every notch has all three, the rest is drafting.* Also asked as: A cushion with a notch for a window column.; A 5 by 2 notch out of the 4 corners. > **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. ![Peach pentagon-shaped corner window seat cushion in an oak-lined nook with linen pillows and forest views](https://cushionguide.com/media/window-seat-cushions/peach-pentagon-corner-cushion-oak-forest-nook-1600.webp "A peach pentagon cushion fills an oak corner nook between two forest-facing windows. The clipped front corner makes it easy to climb in.") ## 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. ## What goes on the drawing - ✓ Every edge of the cushion, measured, including the short edges beside each notch. - ✓ Each [notch](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#notch): its **width**, its **depth**, and its **position** along the edge. - ✓ Which edge faces the wall. The [zipper](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-zipper-placement/) 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](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#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](https://cushionguide.com/guides/notched-cushion-cutouts-posts-casings/) shows the common layouts on a [banquette](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/banquette-cushions/) or sill. > **Tailor's margin:** Give every cushion notch three numbers: width, depth, and its position along the edge. Two numbers draw a hole; the third puts it in the right place. > 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 ## Buyer questions **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. **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. **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. ## Related at the atelier - [Can an L-shaped cushion have a cut-out for a pillar or corner?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/l-shaped-cushion-cutout-pillar-notch/): An L-shaped cushion can have a cut-out: either one piece with a precise notch around the pillar or corner, or separate sections that butt together around it. - [Can my long, shaped bench cushion be one piece, or should it be split into sections?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/long-shaped-bench-cushion-one-piece-or-sections/): Often, yes: a long or shaped window seat cushion can be made in one piece, but it costs more, takes more custom work and fits less reliably than sections. - [Can you make a cushion for an odd-shaped window seat or nook?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/odd-shaped-window-seat-nook-cushion/): Yes, an odd-shaped window seat or nook cushion can be made in any size and shape. - [Making a paper template a cushion workshop can actually use](https://cushionguide.com/guides/paper-template-for-custom-cushion/): A cushion template is a full-size paper tracing of the seat, marked top side up, with the wall edge, two measured reference lines and every edge length written on it. - [Banquette Cushion in Bottle Green Tweed on a Pine Storage Bench](https://cushionguide.com/readings/bottle-green-tweed-pine-storage-bench-cushion/): A banquette cushion on a storage bench should be cut flush to the lid, in a hard-wearing woven fabric, with piping that repeats a light color already in the room. - [Banquette Cushion in Pink Stripe for a Small Sage Kitchen Nook](https://cushionguide.com/readings/pink-stripe-kitchen-corner-bench-cushion-sage-walls/): A striped banquette cushion makes a small kitchen nook feel generous when it is the only bright thing in the corner. - [How to dimension a notch so a cushion fits around posts and casings](https://cushionguide.com/guides/notched-cushion-cutouts-posts-casings/) *± 1/4 in — Nate* --- Written by Nate Kowalski (https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/) 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/cushion-notch-cutout-post-pillar-legs/