---
title: "Custom Chair Cushions with Ties: What to Measure and Send"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/custom-dining-chair-cushions-with-ties/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Margaret Holloway, The Piping Queen of Newport"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/maggie/"
published: "2026-08-11"
updated: "2026-08-11"
keywords: "custom chair cushions with ties, dining chair cushions with ties, tie-on chair pads, ladder back chair cushions, round chair cushion with ties"
---

# Can you make custom dining chair cushions with ties?

*Yes, and the ties are the easy part. The measuring is where people slip, and I have slipped there myself.*

Also asked as: Add 2 straps on each chair cushion; Cushions for 4 vintage ladder-back chairs

> **The quick answer:** Yes, custom dining chair cushions with ties are made to your exact seat measurements, with the ties sewn at the back to hold the pad to the spindles or ladder-back. On the dining chair cushion listing, ties are a checkout option. Send a photo of the chair, a simple diagram with all four edges measured, the quantity and the thickness, such as 4 or 5 in (10 or 13 cm).

![Rose and white striped dining chair pad tied with bows on an oak chair in a Paris-style dining room](https://cushionguide.com/media/dining-chair-cushions/rose-stripe-dining-chair-pad-with-bows-1600.webp "Rose-striped chair pads tied with bows bring gentle color to a pale oak table beside tall French windows.")

## Key facts

- The dining chair cushion listing has a ties option at checkout.
- Ties are sewn at the back of the pad to fasten around spindles or a ladder-back.
- Measure the front, the back and both side edges of the seat.
- Send a photo of the chair and a simple diagram with every edge.
- Round pads can be made, for example 12 in (30 cm) across and 4 in (10 cm) thick with a zip cover and ties or a loop.
- Chair pad covers are removable and washable.
- Chair pads can be made in the same fabric as a bench cushion.

## Four things to send with a tie-on order

1. **A photo of the chair**: Taken straight on, so the spindles or ladder rungs where the ties will go are easy to see.
2. **A diagram with every edge**: Front, back, left side, right side. A pencil sketch on paper is plenty.
3. **Quantity and thickness**: How many pads, and how thick, such as 4 in (10 cm) or 5 in (13 cm).
4. **Ties at checkout, or in the note**: Select ties on the dining chair cushion listing. Ordering through a general listing? Then write the ties in the note, or they won't appear.

## Why I ask for four edges, not two

Right, then. The ties are simple: on the [dining chair cushion](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/dining-chair-cushions/) listing they're a checkbox, and they're sewn at the back edge where the pad meets the chair. The covers come off to wash, which matters more at a dining table than anywhere else in the house.

The measuring is where I've been caught. A buyer in the US sent four vintage ladder-back chairs: about 11 in (28 cm) on the sides, 13 and 14 in (33 and 36 cm) front and back. The seat was an inch wider at one end than the other, and both numbers belonged on the order. A two-number rectangle would have been wrong on every chair.

The [chair pad measuring Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/dining-chair-pad-measurements/) walks through tapered seats, and [matching dining bench and chair cushions](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/matching-dining-bench-and-chair-cushions/) shows how a set comes together. How many chairs sit around your table, dear, and are they all the same?

## Tie-on pads buyers have asked for

- ✓ Four 4 in (10 cm) pads for vintage ladder-back chairs, sides about 11 in (28 cm).
- ✓ A pad about 5 in (13 cm) thick with ties, for a seat base of 21.5 in (55 cm).
- ✓ A round pad 12 in (30 cm) across and 4 in (10 cm) thick, zip cover, ties or a loop.
- ✓ Chair pads cut from the same fabric as the bench cushion across the table.
- ✓ Removable, washable covers on every one of them.

> **Tailor's margin:** Measure all four edges of a chair seat, not two: one set of ladder-back pads ran about 11 in on the sides and 13 and 14 in across the ends.

> Chair pads with ties can be cut from the same fabric as the bench cushion, so the chairs and the bench read as one set instead of two orders.
>
> — Maggie

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** Can you put two straps on each dining chair cushion so I can tie them to the chairs?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Order through the dining chair cushion listing, where ties are a checkout option, so you don't need to write anything extra.

**A common question:** Can you make tie-on pads for four vintage ladder-back chairs?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Send a photo and a simple diagram with the left and right side edges as well as the front and back, plus the quantity. Ties go at the back and the covers come off to wash. That set was four 4 in (10 cm) pads, about 11 in (28 cm) on the sides and 13 and 14 in (33 and 36 cm) front and back.

**A common question:** I need a chair cushion about 5 in thick with ties at the back. What do you need from me?

**The workshop's answer:** A photo of the chair and its measurements; that seat base was 21.5 in (55 cm). The workshop then sent close-ups of smoke, beige, brown and mint, plus a linen swatch card to choose from.

**A common question:** Can a round chair cushion have a removable zip cover and ties for the chair back?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. A round pad 12 in (30 cm) across and 4 in (10 cm) thick, with filling, a zippered cover and a loop or ties, has been quoted.

**A common question:** Can the chair cushions match the fabric of my bench cushion exactly?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Matching chair pads with ties can be made in the exact same fabric. Send the sizes and mention the bench when you order so the pieces are kept together.

## Questions buyers ask next

### Do ties add to the cost of a custom cushion?

Often they're free, sometimes a small add-on per cushion. Write the tie request and your exact size in the personalization box; if a charge applies, the workshop sends a separate payment link for the difference before production starts.

### Can outdoor chair cushions get ties so they don't blow away?

Yes. Ties, including extra-long ones for windy spots, can go on the back, corners or sides of outdoor seat and back cushions. Note the positions in your order, ideally with a quick sketch.

### Will a non-slip bottom harm a wooden chair seat?

No. It's a fabric backing, not glue or a rubber coating, so it's safe on wood. It always covers the whole underside of the pad; a partial grip with a fabric border isn't possible.

### Where do the ties go on a ladder-back or cross-back chair?

On most dining chairs, at the two back corners of the pad, where the seat meets the back posts. Measuring guides place them about 2 to 3 in in from each corner so they line up with the uprights, not the gap between. Photograph your chair from behind, mark the spots, and send the photo with the order.

## Related at the atelier

- [Chair Cushion with Ties for a Victorian Spindle-Back Chair](https://cushionguide.com/readings/mustard-tie-on-pad-victorian-spindle-back-chair/): A chair cushion with ties for a spindle-back chair needs three measurements, not two: the front width, the back width between the rear posts, and the depth at the center.
- [Velvet Chair Cushion With Ties for a Ladder-Back: Five Numbers](https://cushionguide.com/readings/eucalyptus-velvet-ladder-back-dining-chair-pad/): A chair cushion with ties for a ladder-back chair needs five measurements: the front edge, the back edge, each side separately, and the depth, with the two back uprights marked on a paper tracing.
- [Chair Cushion with Ties: The Foam Inside Indigo Ticking](https://cushionguide.com/readings/indigo-ticking-stripe-kitchen-chair-cushion/): A kitchen chair cushion for a hard ladder-back seat works best as a box-edge pad that keeps its full thickness right to the front rail, cut to the seat and not past it.
- [What do you need from me to make seat and back cushions for my chairs?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/measure-armchair-seat-and-back-cushions/): To make seat and back cushions for a garden or patio armchair, send the width between the armrests, the seat depth and the back-cushion height you want, plus a photo of the chair or its reference…
- [Do custom cushions come with ties, or do I have to ask for them?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/do-custom-cushions-come-with-ties/): Custom cushions do not come with ties unless you request them when you order.
- [How to measure dining chairs for seat pads with ties](https://cushionguide.com/guides/dining-chair-pad-measurements/): To measure a chair seat for a cushion, take three numbers: the front width, the back width between the back posts, and the depth down the middle, then both side edges if the seat tapers.
- [Velvet seat cushions: how the pile catches the light on a chair](https://cushionguide.com/guides/velvet-seat-cushions/)

*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/custom-dining-chair-cushions-with-ties/