---
title: "Trapezoid Cushion Cover Replacement: Cover Only, Your Shape"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/trapezoid-tapered-cushion-cover-only/"
section: "The Cutting Table"
author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/"
published: "2026-06-01"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "trapezoid cushion cover replacement, tapered cushion cover only, replacement cover for trapezoid cushion, custom cover for existing cushion, trapezoid window seat cover"
---

# Can you sew just a new cover for my trapezoid or tapered cushion?

*Sometimes the foam is still good and only the cloth has faded. A new cover for an angled shape starts with four numbers and a sketch.*

Also asked as: Tapered shape, 17 in back and 19.5 front; Is it possible to recreate this shape?

> **The quick answer:** Yes, a cover alone can be made for a trapezoid or tapered cushion you already have. Send a drawing or photo with every side labeled and measured, such as a chair cushion 17 in (43 cm) wide at the back, 19 in (48 cm) at the front, 19 in (48 cm) deep and 3.5 in (9 cm) thick. The cover is quoted, and you add fabric and piping codes.

![Green and white stripe trapezoid window seat cushion with solid green piping, rust velvet and gray pillows in a bay](https://cushionguide.com/media/trapezoid-cushions/green-stripe-trapezoid-seat-cushion-green-welt-1600.webp "Solid green piping frames the stripe and keeps the long taper at the right end crisp.")

## Key facts

- Tapered and trapezoid shapes can be made as covers only.
- A drawing or photo with every side labeled and measured is needed.
- Example: 17 in (43 cm) back, 19 in (48 cm) front, 19 in (48 cm) deep, 3.5 in (9 cm) thick.
- You add your fabric code and, if wanted, a piping code.
- Cover-only quotes for shaped cushions are sent on request, and a tapered cover quote came already discounted against a full cushion.

## The four numbers a tapered cover hangs on

My friends, a taper is a quiet thing. A chair cushion 17 in (43 cm) across the back and 19 in (48 cm) across the front looks square until you lay a new cover on it and the corners hang loose. So the workshop asks for four numbers: back width, front width, depth, thickness. In one real order those were 17, 19, 19 and 3.5 in (43, 48, 48 and 9 cm).

Add a drawing or a photo with every side labeled, and the cover alone is quoted. More shapes live under [trapezoid cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/trapezoid-cushions/) and [cushion covers](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/cushion-covers/), and the [trapezoid calculator](https://cushionguide.com/studio/trapezoid-cushion-calculator/) checks that your sides agree.

## What to send with the request

- ✓ A drawing or photo with every side labeled (A, B, C, D) and measured.
- ✓ Back width and front width, measured separately.
- ✓ Depth, front edge to back.
- ✓ Thickness of the cushion you're keeping.
- ✓ Your fabric code, and a piping code if you want a welt.

## Choosing cloth and welt for an old shape

Look at the cushion in the photo above: a kelly green and white pinstripe on a trapezoid window seat, finished with a solid green welt. Let one color speak and the others listen. The stripe does the talking; the welt draws the angle so the eye reads the taper as intentional.

On a new cover the piping is its own code, chosen next to the fabric code, so an old plain cover can come back with a welt. The [piping Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-piping-matching-contrast-none/) and the [covers-for-existing-foam Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-covers-for-existing-foam/) walk through both choices. Which color would you let speak on yours?

> **Tailor's margin:** For a trapezoid cover only, measure the back and front widths separately: a 17 in back and a 19 in front make a taper, not a rectangle.

> A cover-only order for a tapered cushion needs four numbers: back width, front width, depth and thickness, plus a sketch with every side labeled.
>
> — Élodie

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** Can you recreate a cover for a tapered cushion that's narrower at the back?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Send a drawing or photo with the sizes. A cover only for a cushion 17 in (43 cm) at the back, 19 in (48 cm) at the front, 19 in (48 cm) deep and 3.5 in (9 cm) thick was quoted already discounted; you add your fabric and piping codes.

**A common question:** Can I order only the cover for my trapezoid window seat?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Send all the exact measurements, ideally as a drawing with every side labeled, and the workshop quotes the cover alone.

**A common question:** How much less is a cover alone than a full cushion with foam?

**The workshop's answer:** A cover alone costs less than the same cushion with foam; how much less depends on the size and fabric, and the quote shows the difference. Covers are quoted per piece by size and fabric, and multi-cover orders have been given a bulk discount.

**A common question:** Can you make zippered covers for pillow inserts I already own?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Order on the zippered cover listing, put the sizes in the Exact Size field, note that they're pillow covers with your color and piping codes, then message the workshop. Any chart fabric works, and the covers close with a zipper.

## Questions buyers ask next

### Why does a tapered cover need a drawing if I give all four sizes?

A drawing or photo with every side labeled shows which edge is the back and which is the front, so the taper runs the right way. Four numbers alone can be read two ways; the sketch removes the doubt.

### Can the replacement cover have piping when the old one had none?

Yes. Piping is chosen by code alongside the fabric code, so a plain old cover can come back with a welt in a matching or contrasting color. Leave the piping code out if you want the new cover plain.

### Is a shaped cover quoted the same way as a full cushion?

Covers are quoted per piece from the sizes you send and the fabric you choose. A tapered cover-only quote has come already discounted against a full cushion, since the foam isn't part of the job.

## Related at the atelier

- [How much cheaper is just the cover than a full cushion with foam?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cover-only-vs-full-cushion-price/): A cushion cover only costs less than the same cushion with foam, because no foam is included.
- [What measurements do you need to make a cover for my own foam?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/measurements-for-custom-cushion-cover/): To order a replacement cushion cover, send the exact length, width and thickness of each foam piece; the thickness, or fillable depth, is what makes the cover snug.
- [Can I buy just the cushion cover without the foam insert?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-cover-only-without-foam/): Yes: a cushion cover only, without foam, is sewn to the exact length, width and thickness of the insert you already own.
- [Cushion zipper placement: back edge, underside and odd shapes](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-zipper-placement/): The zipper goes on the back edge of the cushion, the side that faces the wall, window or chair back, or on the underside, where nobody sees it.
- [Ordering new cushion covers for foam you already own](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-covers-for-existing-foam/): To order replacement cushion covers, measure the bare insert seam to seam while it lies relaxed, record its true thickness without rounding, and say whether it is foam, fiber or a mattress.
- [Matching fabric from a previous order: dye lots, add-ons and discontinued colors](https://cushionguide.com/guides/dye-lots-matching-cushions-later/): Matching fabric from a previous order can come very close but is never guaranteed identical, because every dye lot shifts slightly in tone.
- [Cut-to-size foam vs a finished cushion: the honest comparison](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cut-to-size-foam-vs-finished-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/trapezoid-tapered-cushion-cover-only/