---
title: "Custom Cushion Fabric Swatches: Order Them Before the Cushion"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/order-fabric-swatches-before-buying-cushion/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/"
published: "2026-07-02"
updated: "2026-07-02"
keywords: "custom cushion fabric swatches, order fabric samples before buying, cushion fabric sample card, fabric codes for cushions, how to order swatches"
---

# Can I order fabric swatches before I buy a cushion?

*Daylight never lies; your screen sometimes does. Custom cushion fabric swatches on your own sill settle what a photograph can't.*

Also asked as: Can I order swatches?; Do you send out samples of the fabrics?

> **The quick answer:** Yes, you can order fabric swatches before buying a cushion: buy the Fabric Sample option once, from the top of a cushion listing's size menu or the fabric-samples listing, and write the exact codes, such as L-18, COR-205 or velvet 112, in the personalization or note box. Up to 5 colors arrive as small swatches on one card.

![Deep teal chenille trapezoid cushion fitted to a white paneled bay window seat with sheer linen curtains and oak floor](https://cushionguide.com/media/bay-window-cushions/deep-teal-trapezoid-cushion-white-bay-window-1600.webp "A shaped teal cushion follows all three sides of a period bay window. White paneling and sheer linen keep the look crisp.")

## Key facts

- Samples are ordered by buying the Fabric Sample (or Fabric Swatch) option once.
- The option sits at the top of the size or length menu, and there is also a dedicated fabric-samples listing.
- Fabric type and exact codes go in the personalization or note-to-seller box.
- Any fabric code the shop sells can be sampled, not only those pictured.
- Samples can't be ordered by message alone, and a sample order with no codes can't be prepared.
- Swatches are small pieces on a sample card, not yardage.
- Swatches are roughly palm-sized, about 4 x 4 to 6 x 6 in, and exactly the codes you order are sent.
- Live with the swatches for about 1 week, in morning and evening light, before you choose.

## Three moves to a swatch card

1. **Find the sample option**: It's at the top of the size or length menu, or on the fabric-samples listing. Add one; if it asks for a color, any color works.
2. **Write your codes**: Put the fabric type and exact codes in the note box: L-18, L-19, COR-205, velvet 112.
3. **Live with them a while**: Hold each swatch against the sofa, the paint and the floor, morning and evening. The shop follows up to ask which one you chose.

## What a swatch tells you that a screen can't

A code on a chart is a promise; a swatch is the thing itself. Sage linen can read gray-green at noon and nearly silver by lamplight, and velvet shifts shade the moment you brush it the other way. Only the cloth in your hand, in your own light, shows you that.

You can sample any code the shop sells, not only the few pictured on the samples listing, so mix freely: a linen-look, a corduroy, a velvet. Browse the [linen-look fabrics](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/linen-look-fabrics/), [velvet](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/velvet/) and [corduroy](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/corduroy/) families, then read [choosing cushion color in real light](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-color-screen-vs-daylight/) and [ordering samples that decide it](https://cushionguide.com/guides/fabric-swatches-before-ordering/).

Which room will your swatches live in for a week, my friends?

## What won't get you swatches

- ✗ Asking by message alone; the sample option has to be bought.
- ✗ A sample order with no codes written in it.
- ✗ Expecting yardage; swatches are small pieces on a card.
- ✗ A separate sample for every code; one sample order carries up to 5 codes.

> **Tailor's margin:** Custom cushion fabric swatches start with one Fabric Sample in the cart and your codes, like L-19 or COR-205, written in the note box.

> A fabric swatch order with no codes can't be prepared: buy the sample option once and write every code you want, like L-18 or velvet 112, in the note.
>
> — Élodie Marchand

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** Can I get fabric swatches before I commit to a cushion?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. On the samples listing, choose Fabric Sample at the top of the Length menu and write up to 5 fabric codes in Add Personalization. The swatches come as small pieces on a sample card, not yards of fabric.

**A common question:** How do I order swatches, and what if I can't wait for them?

**The workshop's answer:** Order through the fabric sample listing with up to 5 codes per sample order; you cover the samples' shipping. If time is short, the shop sends close-up photos of those codes right away, which designers ordering for clients use too.

**A common question:** Can I see physical swatches of L-07, L-19, L-20 and P-50 first?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Order from the fabric-samples listing and write those codes in the personalization or note box. Short on time? The shop can send clear close-ups of the exact fabrics in the chat instead.

**A common question:** How can I match a new cushion to pillows I already have?

**The workshop's answer:** Order samples of your shortlisted codes and compare them at home in your own light, with close-up photos as a first pass. When none matched, the shop has sent a second round of samples free.

## Questions buyers ask next

### Can one sample order mix linen, velvet and corduroy?

Yes. It's one fee per sample order, not per swatch, and mixing fabric families is fine. List every code in the note, up to 5 per order, and the swatches ship together in one package.

### Is there a complete swatch set for interior designers?

Yes. A designer can buy the sample option once and ask for a full set of every color for the usual shipping-only fee, so future client orders are chosen with the fabrics in hand.

### Why does a cushion listing start at such a low price?

The lowest price on a listing is the fabric sample alone, not a cushion or a set. Choose a real size to see the cushion's price; the shop confirms sample-only orders before sending them.

## Related at the atelier

- [Are fabric samples free, or do I have to pay for them?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/are-fabric-samples-free-sample-fee/): The fabric swatches themselves cost nothing; you pay one small flat fee that covers shipping, charged per sample order rather than per swatch.
- [Can you send a foam sample with the fabric swatches?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/foam-sample-with-fabric-swatches/): Yes, a small foam sample can ship with your fabric swatches, so you can check firmness and density before buying a sofa or cushions.
- [How many fabric samples can I get in one order?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/how-many-fabric-samples-per-order/): Plan on up to 5 fabric codes per sample order, written in the personalization box.
- [Star floor cushion order notes: codes, swatches and timing](https://cushionguide.com/readings/blue-mustard-awning-stripe-star-pouf-sunny-nursery/): To order a star floor cushion right the first time, give its size as the width across the points, write the fabric code and any piping code in the order note, and order swatches first if the color…
- [Custom Throw Pillows in Mustard and Rust: The Hand-Finished Edge](https://cushionguide.com/readings/mustard-rust-textured-throw-pillows-linen-sofa/): Custom throw pillows look hand-finished when the piping cord is covered in each pillow's own fabric, the corners are filled to the tip, and the pair overlaps instead of standing in a row.
- [Custom Bench Cushion in Cream Bouclé: Codes, Swatches, Notes](https://cushionguide.com/readings/cream-boucle-walnut-bench-navy-paris-apartment/): To order a custom bench cushion right the first time, send the exact size in inches, the thickness, the fabric code and the piping code in one note, then confirm the color with close-up photos or a…
- [How to order fabric swatches that actually settle the decision](https://cushionguide.com/guides/fabric-swatches-before-ordering/)
- [What to write in a custom cushion order note: sizes, codes and extras](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-personalization-note/)

*With color and care — Élodie*

---

Written by Élodie Marchand (https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/) 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/order-fabric-swatches-before-buying-cushion/