--- title: "Cushion Without Piping: Same Price, Plain Flat Edges" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-without-piping/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Margaret Holloway, The Piping Queen of Newport" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/maggie/" published: "2026-06-16" updated: "2026-09-24" keywords: "cushion without piping, no piping cushion, cushion piping cost, self welt cushion, plain edge bench cushion" --- # Can I order my cushion without piping, and is it cheaper? *Yes, and no. Leaving the piping off changes the edge, not the bill. Here is how to ask for it so nobody has to guess.* Also asked as: Made without the piping, any cheaper?; Can these be made without piping? > **The quick answer:** Any cushion can be made without piping, but it costs the same, because piping is already included in the price. Write 'no piping' next to your fabric code in the personalization or order notes, and the edges are sewn plain and flat. You can also pipe some pieces of a set and leave others plain, or choose self welt for a quieter edge. ![Taupe and white striped seat cushions with three plain taupe back pillows on a low oak platform in a sunlit plaster room](https://cushionguide.com/media/bench-cushions/taupe-striped-seat-cushions-plain-back-pillows-1600.webp "Striped seats, plain backs: the back pillows are cut in the stripe's darker taupe, so the set reads as one design.") ## Key facts - Any cushion can be made without piping. - A cushion without piping costs the same as a piped one. - Ask by writing 'no piping' next to the fabric code in personalization or order notes. - Without piping, the edges are sewn plain and flat. - Piping can go on some pieces of a set and be left off others. - Self welt, piping cut from the cushion's own fabric, is the quieter alternative. ## Why skipping the piping doesn't save a penny Right, then. Yes, any cushion can be made without piping. No, it won't be cheaper. Piping is already built into the price, so leaving it off changes the edge and nothing on the invoice. That contrasting border in some listing photos? That's piping, and a note removes it. I'll admit I have piped a few cushions in my time that would have looked better bare. Pale fabrics are the usual suspects: a light code like L-02 looks especially clean with a plain edge. Corduroy pieces and some floor sofas skip piping by default anyway. So which is it you dislike, dear: the piping itself, or the contrast color? If it's the contrast, [self piping](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#self-piping) keeps the rolled edge in the cushion's own fabric. The [piping Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-piping-matching-contrast-none/) compares all three edges, and the [bench cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bench-cushions/) hub shows them on real seats. ## How do you write 'no piping' in the order note? 1. **Find your fabric code**: It's on the chart in the listing photos. The piping note hangs off it. 2. **Put 'no piping' right beside it**: For example: L-02, no piping. Beside the code, not three lines further down. 3. **Split a set piece by piece**: Seat cushions: piping. Wedge backrests: no piping. One line per piece. 4. **Want a softer edge instead?**: Write 'self welt'. Same price, same fabric, a quiet rolled line. ## Two velvet bench cushions, no decorative seam A buyer got in touch wanting two velvet bench cushions, one 44 × 21¼ × 4 in (112 × 54 × 10 cm) and one 44 × 17¾ × 3⅛ in (112 × 45 × 8 cm), without the decorative seam. They were made exactly that way, with the velvet doing all the talking. Another buyer went halfway on a patio sofa: piping on the seat cushions, the wedge backrests left plain. Perfectly sensible. The seats get the tailored line; the backs sit quietly behind them. > **Tailor's margin:** No piping costs the same as piping. Write 'no piping' next to your fabric code and the cushion edges come plain and flat. > Leaving the piping off a cushion changes the edge, not the price: piping is already included, so the quote stays the same. > > — Maggie ## Buyer questions **A common question:** If I skip the piping, is the cushion any cheaper? **The workshop's answer:** No, the price stays the same. Write 'no piping' next to your fabric code in personalization. Piping is standard on all cushions, and many buyers skip it with light fabrics such as L-02, which look clean without it. **A common question:** Is piping an extra charge, and can I leave it off? **The workshop's answer:** Piping is free, so the price is exactly the same either way. The contrasting border in some photos is piping: write 'no piping' for clean flat edges, or 'piping' plus a color code if you want it. **A common question:** Does the modular floor sofa come with piping? **The workshop's answer:** Modular floor sofas come with a flat seam by default, and every piece is sewn to match. Write your preference in personalization; contrast trim on pillows can be left off. ## Questions buyers ask next ### Which pieces come without piping already? Corduroy pieces and some floor sofas are made without piping by default, so there's nothing to remove. Everything else is piped as standard unless your order note says 'no piping' beside the fabric code. ### Can the seat cushions be piped and the backrests left plain? Yes. Piping can go on some pieces of a set and be left off others; one patio sofa had piped seat cushions and plain wedge backrests. List each piece and its edge on its own line in the order notes. ### What's the difference between self welt and no piping? Self welt is piping cut from the cushion's own fabric, so the edge keeps a rolled line without a contrast color. No piping means a plain, flat sewn edge with no cord at all. Both cost the same as contrast piping. ## Related at the atelier - [Does piping cost extra on a custom cushion?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/does-cushion-piping-cost-extra/): No, piping doesn't cost extra: it is included in the cushion price, and a contrast piping color from the fabric charts is free too. - [Can the piping be a different color from the cushion?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/contrast-piping-color-cushion/): Yes: piping can be cut from any color in the fabric charts, matching or contrasting, at no extra cost. - [How do I choose my piping color when I order?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/how-to-order-piping-color/): To choose your piping color, pick any code from the fabric charts and write it in the personalization box as 'Body: code, Piping: code'. - [Custom Bench Cushion in Knotted Stripe: Box Edge, Self Piping](https://cushionguide.com/readings/warm-gray-mustard-knotted-stripe-cushion-white/): A striped custom bench cushion looks upholstered when it has a box edge, because the stripe carries onto the boxing strip and the knot rows run straight down the side. - [Matching, contrast or no piping: choosing the line around a cushion](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-piping-matching-contrast-none/): Choose matching (self) piping for a guaranteed color match and a tailored edge, contrast piping when you want the outline to carry a second color, and no piping for a soft, flat seam. - [Striped Bench Cushion Up Close: Herringbone Twill, Self Piping](https://cushionguide.com/readings/red-herringbone-stripe-self-piped-corner-macro/): A striped bench cushion looks tailored when the stripes on the top carry straight over the edge onto the gusset and the piping is cut from the same cloth. - [What a custom cushion costs, explained by what goes into it](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-cost-price-drivers/) *Stitch straight — Maggie* --- Written by Margaret Holloway (https://cushionguide.com/masters/maggie/) 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-without-piping/