---
title: "Custom Throw Pillow Covers with Zipper for Inserts You Own"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/throw-pillow-covers-for-existing-inserts/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/"
published: "2026-07-01"
updated: "2026-07-01"
keywords: "custom throw pillow covers with zipper, throw pillow covers for existing inserts, zippered pillow covers custom size, 18x18 pillow covers, matching pillow covers"
---

# Can you make zippered throw pillow covers for inserts I already have?

*Your inserts still hold their shape; it's the color that has drifted out of the conversation. Custom throw pillow covers with a zipper change the face and keep the heart.*

Also asked as: I just need the covers; I have the inserts.; Covers for 18 x 18 throw cushions.

> **The quick answer:** Yes, throw pillow covers can be made for your existing inserts: order through the zippered cushion cover listing and write your sizes in the Exact Size field. Note that they are pillow covers, add your color and piping codes, then message the shop. Squares such as 18 x 18 in (46 x 46 cm) or 24 x 24 in (60 x 60 cm) work in any chart color.

![Forest green bouclé bench cushion with its concealed side zipper partly open, showing a white inner layer](https://cushionguide.com/media/cushion-covers/forest-green-boucle-cover-hidden-side-zipper-1600.webp "The zipper runs along the side seam, so the cover comes off for cleaning while the front stays clean-lined.")

## Key facts

- Throw pillow covers are ordered through the zippered cushion cover listing.
- Sizes go in the Exact Size field.
- Message the shop after ordering so the pillow covers are set up correctly.
- Covers can match your cushion fabric or any other chart color.
- Two covers cost less per piece than one.
- Covers close with a zipper; a removable cover without one isn't offered.
- A pillow cover is flat, with no side depth like a mattress cover.

## Ordering pillow covers on the cover listing

1. **Open the zippered cover listing**: The listing that makes cushion covers makes throw pillow covers too.
2. **Write the size in Exact Size**: Give the finished square or rectangle, such as 18 x 18 in.
3. **Say they're pillow covers**: Add the words 'pillow covers' with your fabric code and piping code.
4. **Message after checkout**: A short note makes sure the order is set up as pillow covers.

## Why a pillow cover has no side wall

A seat cushion is a box: top, bottom and a band of fabric around its sides. A throw pillow cover is two faces sewn edge to edge, flat until the insert fills it. That's why you give only length and width, with no depth to measure as you would for a mattress cover. The glossary calls the shape a [knife edge](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#knife-edge).

Color is where the pleasure lives. The covers can match your bench or window seat exactly, or pick up a second chart color: washed denim against oatmeal linen, ochre against ink navy. Let one color speak and the others listen. Browse [throw pillows](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/throw-pillows/), try pairings in the [pillow cover studio](https://cushionguide.com/studio/pillow-cover-studio/), and read [throw and lumbar pillows to match your seat](https://cushionguide.com/guides/matching-throw-pillows-lumbar-pillows/).

What color is the sofa your inserts will sit on, my friends?

## Good to know before you order

- ✓ Any chart fabric works, including the one on your cushions.
- ✓ Two covers cost less per piece than one.
- ✓ Every cover closes with a zipper; a zipless removable cover isn't offered.
- ✓ Flat pillow covers take length and width only.

> **Tailor's margin:** Throw pillow covers take two numbers, length and width, like 18 x 18 in; a zipper closes them and there is no side depth to measure.

> Zippered throw pillow covers for 18 x 18 in inserts go on the cushion cover listing: size in Exact Size, color and piping codes in the note.
>
> — Élodie Marchand

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** Can I order only covers for inserts I already own, throw pillows included?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. The zippered cushion cover listing handles throw pillow covers too. Write the sizes in the Exact Size field, note that they're pillow covers with your color and piping codes, and message the shop after ordering. Use your cushion fabric or any other chart color.

**A common question:** I need a 24 x 24 in (60 x 60 cm) cover with a zipper. Is one or two the better buy?

**The workshop's answer:** Two. A square zippered cover of 22 to 24 in (56 to 60 cm) costs less per piece in a pair. A removable cover without a zipper isn't offered, and a pillow cover has no side depth like a mattress cover.

**A common question:** Can a tufted bench cushion get a zippered cover like these?

**The workshop's answer:** Not both. Tufted cushions have no zipper; plain boxed foam cushions have zippered, removable covers. A tufted cushion can't be re-covered later; it has to be remade.

## Questions buyers ask next

### Do the pillow covers have to match my bench cushion fabric?

No. They can be cut from the same fabric as your cushions for a quiet, tailored look, or from any other chart color. Write each cover's fabric code in the note so a mixed pair is cut correctly.

### Can a cover be made for a long lumbar insert?

Yes. The Exact Size field takes any length and width, so a rectangular lumbar insert is ordered the same way as a square one. Measure the insert itself, edge to edge, and note that it's a pillow cover.

### Can I order spare pillow covers in another color later?

Yes. The shop keeps your exact sizes, so a second set in any chart color can be made now or months later. Ordered alongside the cushion, an extra cover costs about half the cushion price.

### I already have 20 in inserts. What size covers should I order?

For a full, plump pillow, order 18 x 18 in covers: most guides size the insert about 2 in larger than the cover, so 20 in inserts suit 18 in covers. For a softer, slouchier pillow, order 20 x 20 in covers. Write the finished cover size in the order note and say that the inserts are your own.

## Related at the atelier

- [Can you make a zippered cover for a mattress I already have?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/custom-zippered-mattress-cover/): Yes, a zippered box cover can be made to fit a mattress you already own, at any size, including sizes well beyond the listed ones.
- [Can you make slipcovers for the sofa I already own?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/slipcovers-for-existing-sofa/): No: the workshop doesn't make fitted slipcovers for a whole conventional sofa (arms, back and skirt) or for an unrelated multi-piece set, such as a five-piece sofa with a storage ottoman.
- [Can I choose which side the zipper goes on?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/choose-zipper-side-cushion-cover/): You can choose which edge of a custom cushion cover the zipper is sewn on.
- [Zippered Cushion Cover in Forest Green Bouclé Through the Year](https://cushionguide.com/readings/hidden-zipper-forest-green-boucle-cushion-cover/): A zippered cushion cover in bouclé works all year when the zipper runs along the back boxing seam, where it faces the wall and the loops close over the tape.
- [Custom Cushion Covers in Caramel Bouclé With a Side Zipper](https://cushionguide.com/readings/caramel-boucle-cushion-side-zip-front-view/): Custom cushion covers with a zipper along the side panel come off without moving the bench, which matters most when you host.
- [Custom Cushion Covers in Dusty Velvet With Contrast Piping](https://cushionguide.com/readings/dusty-velvet-cushion-covers-contrast-piping-pile/): Custom cushion covers fit best when the cover's side wall matches your insert's thickness and the length and depth are agreed as finished sizes, since handmade covers carry a 1/2 to 1 in (1.3 to 2.5…
- [Ordering new cushion covers for foam you already own](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-covers-for-existing-foam/)
- [Replacing a discontinued cushion by copying the one you have](https://cushionguide.com/guides/copy-existing-or-discontinued-cushion/)

*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/throw-pillow-covers-for-existing-inserts/