---
title: "Custom Throw Pillows: Sizes, Inserts, Piping and Fabric"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/cushions/throw-pillows/"
section: "The Cushion Atlas"
author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/"
published: "2026-02-18"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "custom throw pillows, custom size throw pillows, matching throw pillows, throw pillow covers, lumbar pillow insert size, piped throw pillows"
---

# Custom throw pillows, sized and filled to match the seat

*On most sofas the eye lands on a throw pillow before it notices anything else. Here is how to size one, fill it and finish its edge, drawn from the questions buyers send us most.*

> **The quick answer:** Custom throw pillows can be made in any size and in the same fabric as your bench, window seat or floor sofa, as covers only or filled. The standard fill is shredded foam in its own inner cover, with fiber, solid foam or memory foam on request. Piping costs the same as none, and the zippered covers wash at 86°F (30°C).

![Black and cream geometric jacquard throw pillow with cream piping in front of a mustard bouclé pillow on a linen sofa](https://cushionguide.com/media/throw-pillows/geometric-jacquard-pillow-layered-mustard-boucle-1600.webp "Graphic in front, texture behind: a monochrome jacquard pillow layered over a mustard bouclé one.")

## What a made-to-measure throw pillow is for

A throw pillow is the smallest piece in a room and often the one that decides it. Custom throw pillows are made to any size you name, in the same fabric as your bench cushion, window seat, floor cushion or sofa, so the pillow and the seat read as one piece of work.

They come two ways: **covers only**, if you already own good inserts, or **filled**, ready to set on the seat. Either way the cover is zippered, removable and washable. Most buyers are finishing something: a new [window seat cushion](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/window-seat-cushions/) or a [modular floor sofa](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/modular-floor-sofas/). Long, low shapes live under [lumbar pillows](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/lumbar-pillows/), round ones under [bolster pillows](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bolster-pillows/).

## Sizes buyers ask for, and how to give them

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Small square | 14 x 14 in (36 x 36 cm), the size of the small pillowcases that often travel with a floor sofa order |
| Floor sofa square | 17 x 17 in (43 x 43 cm), the matching teddy pillow for a floor sofa |
| Classic squares | 18 x 18 in (46 x 46 cm) and 20 x 20 in (51 x 51 cm); metric sizes such as 19¾ or 23½ in (50 or 60 cm) square are made just as easily |
| Lumbar | 24 x 12 in (61 x 30 cm) cover with a 25 x 13 in (64 x 33 cm) insert for a full look |
| Odd shapes | Possible; send a drawing with every size marked |
| Pricing note | Each piece has a minimum custom price, so an 18 x 18 in pillow costs the same as a 20 x 20 in |

## Piping, no piping, and the line between

The edge is where a pillow shows its manners. **Piping** draws a crisp line around the square; no piping leaves the edge soft and quiet. It runs close to half and half, and the price is the same either way.

[Self-piping](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#self-piping) in the body fabric is the calmest choice, and the easiest for the workroom. Contrast piping outlines a pillow like ink around a drawing: cream piping on a black-and-cream geometric jacquard, sage piping on a sage leaf pattern. No piping keeps a nubby weave soft and casual. The longer argument is in [piping: matching, contrast or none](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-piping-matching-contrast-none/).

## Fabrics that hold a pillow's shape and color

Price follows size, not fabric: velvet and linen cost the same, so choose by the room and its light.

- [Bouclé and teddy](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/boucle-and-teddy/): rust, cream and mustard loops that catch low light.
- [Jacquard and damask](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/jacquard-and-damask/): a woven pattern that can carry the room's whole story.
- [Velvet](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/velvet/): deep color with a sheen that shifts as the day moves.
- [Linen-look weaves](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/linen-look-fabrics/): the quiet everyday choice.
- [Striped cotton and ticking](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/striped-cotton-and-ticking/): 100% cotton, indoors only, stripes from about 1/4 in (0.7 cm) to 2 1/4 in (6 cm) wide.
- [Performance and pet-friendly weaves](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/performance-and-pet-friendly/): for the pillow the cat has already claimed.

A listing shows only the most-ordered fabrics. More color charts are shared on request, and fabrics can be mixed within one order.

## What goes inside: shredded foam, fiber or a foam slab

The standard fill is [shredded foam](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#shredded-foam), cut on the workroom's own machine. It is softer than solid foam but not very soft: a pillow with some body that still gives when you lean in. The fill lives in its own inner cover, so the outer cover unzips and goes in the wash alone.

On request, an insert can be silicone fiber for a softer pillow, solid foam for a firm one, or high-density memory foam; cotton or organic cotton costs extra. Long pillows can even be foam-filled like a cushion, as 20 x 80 in (51 x 203 cm) pieces with piping have been. How each fill behaves behind the shoulders is in [shredded foam, solid wedge or fiber](https://cushionguide.com/guides/back-cushion-fill-shredded-foam-vs-wedge/).

## An inch bigger inside than out

One buyer wrote in wanting lumbar pillows to match a new cushion, and wanting them full, not flat at the corners. The covers were cut at 24 x 12 in (61 x 30 cm) and filled with inserts of 25 x 13 in (64 x 33 cm), one inch larger in each direction.

That single inch is the whole trick. The insert presses into every corner and the face of the pillow domes a little. Same fabric, same zipper, a very different pillow.

## Where throw pillow orders go wrong

- ✗ Expecting the small gift pillowcases in a floor sofa box to arrive filled. They come empty; a 14 x 14 in insert fits them.
- ✗ Ordering matching pillows weeks after the cushion. Added to the original order they ship in one package and cost less than a separate order later.
- ✗ Asking for a monogram or a name. There is no embroidery, printing or lettering; personalization means your size, fabric and piping codes.
- ✗ Typing pillow details into the size box, where they get missed. Write quantity, sizes, piping and fabric codes in one clear note, then confirm by message.
- ✗ Setting striped cotton pillows out on an open patio. Stripes and ticking are indoor fabrics; take the outdoor chart instead.

> A throw pillow insert about 1 in larger than its cover fills the corners: 25 x 13 in inside a 24 x 12 in lumbar cover.
>
> — Élodie

## Styling a set, and the tools before you order

Let one color speak and the others listen. In the photograph above, a black-and-cream geometric jacquard stands in front of a mustard bouclé on a cream linen sofa: one pattern, one texture, one warm solid. Two or three pillows per seat is plenty.

So tell me, my friends: what is the one color in your room you would keep if everything else had to go? Build the pillows around it.

Then try sizes, edges and pairings in the [pillow cover studio](https://cushionguide.com/studio/pillow-cover-studio/). Before ordering, read [throw and lumbar pillows to match your seat cushion](https://cushionguide.com/guides/matching-throw-pillows-lumbar-pillows/), order [fabric swatches](https://cushionguide.com/guides/fabric-swatches-before-ordering/), and check your shade in [screen vs swatch](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-color-screen-vs-daylight/).

> **Tailor's margin:** Piping or no piping on a throw pillow costs the same. Choose self-piping for calm, contrast piping to draw the outline.

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** Can you make throw pillows to match the cushion or sofa I ordered?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Matching throw, lumbar and accent pillows are made to any size in the same fabric as your bench cushion, floor cushion or sofa, as covers only if you already have inserts, or filled, always with removable, washable zippered covers. Mixed sets work too. Send the sizes, how many, piping or not, the fabric codes and a photo of the style in one message for an exact quote.

**A common question:** If I add matching pillows, what are they filled with, and should I order them with the cushion?

**The workshop's answer:** Every color is available for every piece. The standard fill is shredded foam for a soft, plump feel, or pillows can be foam-filled like a cushion. Each piece has a minimum custom production price, so an 18 x 18 in costs the same as a 20 x 20 in, and pillows added to the original package cost less than ordering them on their own later.

**A common question:** Can you embroider a name or a phrase on a pillow?

**The workshop's answer:** No. The workshop does not offer embroidery, printing or lettering of any kind. The personalization box is for order details: custom size, fabric and piping codes, and requests for other fabrics. What you can customize is the piece itself: any size, any fabric from the charts, and piping in any fabric or matched to the body.

**A common question:** Should my pillows have piping or not?

**The workshop's answer:** It is purely taste, and the price is the same. Piping gives defined, tailored edges; no piping keeps them soft and clean, and roughly half of orders go each way. Choose self-piping in the same fabric, contrast piping in another color, or none, and state it when you order.

**A common question:** Are the fabrics on the listing the only ones I can choose?

**The workshop's answer:** No. A listing shows only the most popular fabrics, usually in one color chart. More charts are shared on request, codes seen in photos but missing from the chart can be written in the order notes, and the shop will look for a color or look you describe. Fabrics from outside the standard range can cost more, and different fabrics can be mixed in one order.

**A common question:** There were two small pillowcases in my floor sofa box with nothing inside. Is something missing?

**The workshop's answer:** Nothing is missing. They are a gift, usually two small square zippered pillowcases, often in the sofa fabric, and they come without inserts. They measure 14 x 14 in, so a 14 x 14 in insert fits. Their color can differ from the sofa; matching extra covers can be bought.

## Questions buyers ask next

### What insert size should I buy for a custom pillow cover?

For a full, rounded pillow, go about 1 in larger than the cover each way. A matching lumbar set used 25 x 13 in inserts inside 24 x 12 in covers. An insert the same size as its cover gives a flatter, more relaxed pillow.

### How do I wash custom throw pillow covers?

Unzip the cover and leave the insert out; inserts are not washed. Machine wash the cover at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle or delicate cycle with mild detergent, air dry it instead of tumble drying, and iron on low only if needed.

### Is a smaller throw pillow cheaper than a larger one?

Not always. Each custom piece carries a minimum production price, so an 18 x 18 in pillow costs the same as a 20 x 20 in. Fabric rarely changes the price either, because custom pieces are priced mainly by size; velvet and linen cost the same.

### Can I choose my own stripe colors?

No. Striped and ticking fabrics have their stripes woven in, so the color combinations come as woven. Stripe widths vary by fabric, from about 1/4 in to 2 1/4 in. These fabrics are 100% cotton, indoor-only, and stain more easily than performance weaves.

### Can you make a round or unusual pillow shape?

Yes. Custom shapes are made from a drawing with every size marked. Sketch the outline, write each measurement on it and send a photo of the style you have in mind; round and tube shapes are ordered like bolsters.

### Can I buy extra fabric to sew something matching myself?

Yes. Fabric is sold by the yard, for example extra matching fabric or enough for large pillow covers. The range is mainly plain solid colors, and the workshop does not weave its own fabric or make custom patterns.

### Does the fill change what size insert I should buy?

Yes. Feather and down inserts compress more than polyester fiber, which is one reason guides size them 1 to 2 in larger for a full look; firmer fills hold their volume, so a smaller jump is enough. The workshop's own pillow fills are shredded foam, polyester fiber or solid foam, so ask how full you want the pillow when you order.

### Can custom throw pillow covers be made in bouclé?

Yes. Pillow covers can be cut from any chart fabric, including the teddy and bouclé range, in your sizes with a zipper. Bouclé's loops are soft and hide crumbs, but they can snag on claws and hold pet hair, so it suits a sofa better than a dog's favorite corner. Order a swatch to feel the loop first.

## Related at the atelier

- [Custom Throw Pillow in Arch Jacquard for a Velvet Armchair](https://cushionguide.com/readings/arch-pattern-pillow-burgundy-velvet-armchair/): A throw pillow in an armchair looks right when it fills the corner without pushing you forward off the seat, and a thin knife-edge pillow set at an angle does exactly that.
- [Custom Throw Pillows: Geometric Jacquard over Mustard Bouclé](https://cushionguide.com/readings/geometric-jacquard-pillow-layered-mustard-boucle/): Spend on the patterned front pillow of a custom throw pillow pair and save on what you already own, since covers-only orders fit existing inserts.
- [What size insert does my pillow cover need?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/pillow-insert-size-chart/): For a full, plump pillow, choose an insert about 2 in (5 cm) larger than the cover: an 18 x 18 in cover takes a 20 x 20 in insert.
- [Does the fabric I choose change the cushion price?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/cushion-price-by-fabric-velvet-linen/): Usually not: custom cushions are priced mainly by size, so the same cushion costs the same in velvet or linen.
- [Matching throw pillows and lumbars to a seat cushion, color by color](https://cushionguide.com/guides/matching-throw-pillows-lumbar-pillows/): Matching throw pillows work best as a trio: one pillow in the seat cushion's own fabric, one that repeats the piping color, and one quiet texture.
- [Cushions for Louisiana and the Deep South](https://cushionguide.com/places/louisiana-deep-south-cushions/): For New Orleans porch cushions and gallery swings, choose outdoor-rated, water-repellent fabric with zippered covers, and keep velvet and chenille indoors.
- [How to match a new cushion to your sofa, paint or wallpaper](https://cushionguide.com/guides/match-cushion-to-sofa-paint-wallpaper/)

*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/cushions/throw-pillows/