The Pattern Room · a measuring pattern
How to dimension a notch so a cushion fits around posts and casings
A notch is three numbers and a drawing, and nearly all the trouble comes from leaving one out. My checklist for casings, posts, bench legs, handles and that pillar in the banquette.
SaveThe quick answer
A notched cushion is dimensioned from above with three numbers per notch: its offset from a named end, its width along the edge and its depth into the cushion. Draw the whole seat top side up, write a measurement on every edge, add photos, and approve the workshop's redrawn diagram before cutting. Edge notches are made; holes in the middle of a panel are not.
Three numbers make a notch
Every notched cushion I've seen go wrong was missing a number, not a skill. I once drew a window-seat notch with a lovely width and depth and no position at all. Very accurate, and somewhere.
A notched cushion has a bite taken out of one edge so it can sit around something that won't move: a window casing stepping into the seat, a porch post, bench legs rising through the top, a window handle, a pillar in an L-shaped banquette. What's sticking into your seat?
Every notch needs three numbers, drawn from above:
- Offset: how far it starts from a named end, along the edge.
- Width: how far it runs along that edge.
- Depth: how far it cuts in, measured square to the edge.
Plus one word: which edge. Front, back, left or right.
From tape measure to an approved notch drawing
Draw the seat from above, top side up
Sketch the seat as if looking down on it and label the front (room side) and back (wall side). Notched pieces are mirror-sensitive: a sketch drawn from underneath makes a cushion that fits the other way round. See top side up.
Pattern sheet Front edge measured wall to wall, back edge along the window, and the depth at both the left and right ends. Measure the whole seat first
Take the front length, the back length and the depth at both ends. Measure the bench, not the cushion you used to have.
Name one end and measure every offset from it
Left or right: write it on the drawing, dear, and measure where each notch starts from that end.
Measure each notch's width and depth
A casing 0.75 in (2 cm) deep that stops 6 in (15 cm) from the left end and 7 in (18 cm) from the right makes a notch 0.75 in deep and 96.25 in (244 cm) wide on a 109.25 in (277.5 cm) seat.
Check that the numbers close
Offset plus notch width plus the remaining run must equal the full edge: 6 + 96.25 + 7 = 109.25 in. If yours don't add up, paper is the cheapest place to find out.
Name the obstacle, add photos, mind the zipper
Write post, casing, leg, handle or pipe box beside each notch and add two or three wide-angle photos. For a pillar, give its height too. The zipper runs along the back edge, so say if notches sit there.
Approve the redrawn diagram before cutting
The workshop turns your sketch into a standard template, often in centimeters, and waits for your yes. One 87 in (221 cm) window seat came back with 84.5 in (215 cm) on the opposite edge and 1.25 x 2 in (3 x 5 cm) notches at both ends. Check every figure against your tape.
Pattern sheet Front edge measured wall to wall, back edge along the window, and the depth at both the left and right ends.
Have it made
Measured it? Have Maggie’s workshop make it
Have the tape measure handy when they call. Old cushions shrink and sag; the seat underneath does not. — Maggie
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.
Posts, casings, legs, handles and pillars: what to send
| Obstacle | Where the notch sits | Numbers to send |
|---|---|---|
| Window casing stepping into the seat | Back edge, one long shallow notch | Casing depth, start and stop points, height above the seat |
| Porch or corner post | A back corner or side | Post width and depth, offset from a named end |
| Bench legs rising through the top | Corners or sides | Size and position of each leg; tie positions if wanted |
| Window handle | Back edge | Handle width, reach over the seat, offset from a named end |
| Pillar in an L-shaped banquette | Inside corner | Pillar width, depth, height and position |
| Floor vent mid-mat | Not a notch | Split the mat into pieces around it |
A trapezoid with 2 1/2 in notches, and a handle on the drawing
A buyer in the US measured a trapezoid window seat at 70 in (178 cm) along the front, 44 in (112 cm) along the back and 20.5 in (52 cm) deep, with 2 1/2 in (6.4 cm) notches at the back corners. The snag was thickness: she wanted 1 in (2.5 cm), and the thinnest foam the workshop cuts is 2 in (5 cm), which she felt would sit too high. The notches were never the problem.
Another buyer in the US drew a trapezoid seat 74 in (188 cm) long and 24 in (61 cm) deep but left the side edges unmarked, so the workshop asked for them. She added the window handle's position as a cut-out and uploaded the full drawing with her order.
Check the minimum thickness first, and put every obstacle on the paper. More builds in notched window seat cushions.
What can't be cut, and what happens instead
Edge notches are routine: one reading-nook cushion, 82 x 36 in (208 x 91 cm), had a 5 x 2 in (13 x 5 cm) notch at all four corners.
Holes in the middle of a panel are not offered. A buyer in the US wanted a crash mat with 2.5 in (6.4 cm) round cut-outs for floor vents; the answer was an L-shaped cushion plus a separate piece between the vents. Very narrow notches can't hold their shape either, so the cushion runs straight past a thin recess.
For a pillar in an L-shaped banquette, butting sections are often easier than one notched L. See L-shaped cushion corner joints and L-shaped cushions.
Notch mistakes I see (and made once myself)
- A notch with a width and a depth but no position. Guilty.
- Ordering a notched seat as a plain rectangle; that order never asks for a drawing.
- Measuring slants around a post without saying so. One seat's 39 in (99 cm) slants were really about 37.5 in (95 cm).
- Shrinking the whole cushion to clear a casing, leaving a gap at each end.
- Leaving short straight returns off the drawing.
- Sketching from underneath, so the notch lands on the wrong corner.
If a window casing steps 3/4 in into the seat, notch the back edge and keep full depth at the ends; a shrunken cushion leaves a gap at each end.
Maggie
Rough it out in the builder, then add the notches
Settle length, depth and thickness in the bench cushion builder first, then add the notches by hand on the drawing you send.
A notched shape goes on the custom-shape order route with the drawing uploaded, where a notch usually adds nothing by itself. Cut-outs around obstacles on individually quoted cushions have added a little to the price, and the quote shows how much.
For the rest of the drawing, see custom shape cushion drawings and trapezoid cushion measurements, plus the window seat cushions and bench cushions hubs.
Buyer questions: posts, casings and cut-outs
- A common question
Can you cut a cushion around a post or the legs of my bench?
The workshop's answerYes. Notches around pillars, posts, legs or window columns are cut from your drawing. Mark each notch's width, depth and position along the edge and add a few wide-angle photos. The workshop redraws it as a template and asks you to confirm before cutting.
- A common question
My window casing sticks out over the seat. Should I just order a shallower cushion?
The workshop's answerNo, notch it. For a 109.25 x 25 in (277.5 x 63.5 cm) seat with a 0.75 in (2 cm) casing, the workshop drew a notch 0.75 in deep and 96.25 in (244 cm) wide along the back edge and kept the full 25 in depth at both ends. The diagram is approved before the quote.
- A common question
Can you cut round holes in a floor mat for our heating vents?
The workshop's answerNo. Small round holes in the middle of a panel can't be sewn to hold their shape, and very narrow notches can't either. The cushion is split into pieces around the obstacle instead, or the edge runs straight past a narrow recess.
- A common question
Our L-shaped banquette has a pillar in the corner. One cushion or two?
The workshop's answerEither. One L-shaped piece can be cut with a precise notch around the pillar, or separate sections can butt together around it, which is easier to place and lasts longer. Send a photo plus the pillar's position, width, depth and height, and the workshop recommends one.
- A common question
Will a notch make my cushion cost more?
The workshop's answerUsually not by itself. On the custom-shape route the notch is part of the custom cutting. That route costs more than plain rectangles, so a notched seat ordered as a rectangle leaves a difference to settle. On individually quoted cushions, cut-outs around obstacles have added a little; the quote shows how much.
Quick notch questions
How thin can a notched cushion be?
The thinnest foam cut is 2 in (5 cm). The standard seat is 4 in (10 cm), and 3 in (7.5 cm) gives a lower, neater window seat. Plan the notches around the thickness you will actually get.
Can a notched cushion have ties?
Yes. Ties are an optional extra sewn into the seams at the corners or the back. Mark each tie's position and length so none ends up inside a notch or behind a post.
How close should the finished notch be to my drawing?
When walls are out of square, the workshop cuts from the edges against the walls, lets the diagonals follow, and has accepted results within about 1/4 in (6 mm). Measure the notch as carefully as the edges.
Can a cushion be shallower at the ends than in the middle?
Yes. A notch running the full depth of an end makes that end shallower. One 18 in (46 cm) deep window seat cushion dropped to 16 in (41 cm) at both ends, around 1.25 x 2 in (3 x 5 cm) notches.
