CushionGuide
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The Cutting Table · compared on the table

How much fabric do I need to send for a custom cushion?

Also asked as:How much fabric do you need for this cushion?How many yards should I buy?

Yardage is a quiet arithmetic of size, piping and bolt width. Three real orders give you the scale; a photo of your fabric gives you the exact figure.

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The Colorist of New Orleans · · Updated

Forest green bouclé cushion on a freestanding walnut bench by a window onto a Paris street, with cream and cognac pillowsSave
A forest green bouclé cushion on a freestanding walnut bench, styled like a small study corner in a Paris apartment.

The quick answer

Yardage depends on size, piping and bolt width: about 4.4 yd (4 m) covered a 21 x 109 x 4 in (53 x 277 x 10 cm) tufted bench cushion. About 2.7 yd (2.5 m) of 45 in wide fabric covered a 60 x 14 in piped cushion, and a teddy floor sofa needs about 13 yd. Send a direct photo for an exact figure.

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Three real orders, three yardages

PieceSizeFabric used
Tufted bench cushion21 x 109 x 4 in (53 x 277 x 10 cm)About 4.4 yd (4 m)
Piped cushion60 x 14 in (152 x 36 cm)About 2.7 yd (2.5 m) of 45 in (114 cm) wide fabric
Teddy floor sofaFull sofaAbout 13 yd (11.9 m)

Key facts

  • Send a direct photo of the fabric (not a screenshot), its material and your dimensions before quoting.
  • About 4.4 yd (4 m) covered a 21 x 109 x 4 in (53 x 277 x 10 cm) tufted bench cushion.
  • About 2.7 yd (2.5 m) of 45 in (114 cm) wide fabric covered a 60 x 14 in (152 x 36 cm) piped cushion.
  • A teddy floor sofa needs about 13 yd (11.9 m).
  • Your fabric must be upholstery-grade; silk is not suitable.
  • Production starts once your fabric arrives at the workshop.
  • Quotes with your own fabric are lower than with the workshop's fabric.

Have it made

Have Élodie’s workshop cut this for you

A fabric reads one way at noon and another at dusk. Mention your light, and the workshop will weigh it with you. — Élodie

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
Send a direct photo of the fabric (not a screenshot), its material and your dimensions…
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
About 2.7 yd (2.5 m) of 45 in (114 cm) wide fabric covered a 60 x 14 in (152 x 36 cm)…
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

Cloth the workshop accepted, and cloth it turned down

FabricVerdictWhy
Heavy cottonAcceptedUpholstery weight
SilkTurned downSuits neither upholstery nor compressed packaging
Velvet, linen and other upholstery clothQuoted from a photoName the material when you send the picture

Why the width of your bolt changes the answer

Yardage is never one number, my friends. It moves with three things: the size of the cushion, whether it carries piping, and the width of the cloth on the bolt. That's why the workshop asks before it answers.

Daylight never lies; your screen sometimes does. So the request is a direct photo of the fabric, not a screenshot from a store page, and a word on what it is: velvet, linen, heavy cotton. Silk, however lovely its luster, was turned down.

Want a starting figure first? The fabric yardage calculator and the yardage Pattern will give you one, and the bench cushion hub shows the shapes. How wide is the bolt you've fallen for?

Before your fabric travels

  1. Photograph the fabric directly

    A real photo of the cloth, not a screenshot.

  2. Name the material

    Velvet, linen, heavy cotton: say which.

  3. Send your dimensions

    Length, width, thickness, and whether you want piping.

  4. Get the yardage and quote

    The workshop works out the amount and quotes, lower than with its own fabric. Production starts once your fabric arrives, and the workshop gives production and delivery times with the quote.

A teddy floor sofa takes about 13 yards of fabric, so buying your own cloth for a sofa means a real bolt, not a remnant.

Élodie
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Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    Can I send my own fabric for the cushion, and would it cost less?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, and the quote is lower with your fabric than with the workshop's. For a 21 x 109 x 4 in tufted cushion, about 4.4 yd (4 m) was enough. Shipping your fabric in can add time and cost, so the workshop can also try to find the same or a similar fabric from a photo.

  2. A common question

    Can you use fabric I bought from another store?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, and the workshop can also suggest similar in-house fabrics. For a 60 x 14 in piped cushion cut from a 45-inch-wide bolt, about 2.7 yd (2.5 m) is enough.

  3. A common question

    Can I send my own fabric to cover the floor sofa?

    The workshop's answer

    It depends on the cloth: it has to be upholstery-grade. Silk was turned down for both upholstery and compressed packaging, while a heavy cotton was accepted. A teddy sofa needs about 13 yards, and production starts once the fabric arrives, so count your fabric's trip in the plan.

  4. A common question

    Can the cushions be made in upholstery fabric I already have?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, you can mail it in. First send a direct photo (not a screenshot) and say what the material is, velvet, linen and so on, so the workshop can quote and work out how much you need.

Questions buyers ask next

Does piping change how much fabric a cushion takes?

Yes. Size, piping and the fabric's width together set the yardage, so say whether you want piping before the workshop works out the amount. A 60 x 14 in (152 x 36 cm) piped cushion took about 2.7 yd (2.5 m) of 45 in wide fabric.

Why a direct photo of my fabric and not a screenshot?

A direct photo shows the actual cloth you own. With the material named, the workshop can judge whether it is upholstery-grade and work out how much is needed before quoting.

How soon after my fabric arrives will the cushion ship?

Production starts once the fabric reaches the workshop, and the workshop gives production and delivery times in writing. Plan your fabric's own trip to the workshop on top of that.