The Pattern Room · a measuring pattern
Caring for a tufted cushion: re-sewing a button and cleaning by hand
A tufted cushion is sewn shut by hand, buttons and all, so it can't go in the washer and it can't hide a loose button for long. Here is how I look after one: a long needle, strong thread and a damp cloth.
SaveThe quick answer
To clean a tufted cushion, spot clean it where it sits: vacuum the surface, blot any spill, wipe gently with a damp cloth and a little mild soap and water, then let it dry flat. Never soak it or machine wash it, because the buttons are stitched through the cover and filling. Re-sew a loose button early with the spare that came with your order.
Why a tufted cushion has no zipper
Knowing how to clean a tufted cushion starts with knowing how it was made. Each button is sewn by hand straight through the cover and the filling, and the cushion is closed by hand around them. There's no zipper because there can't be one. A seam is a promise, and a tufting button is a small one, repeated across the whole top.
Buttons loosen with daily use, under a heavy, well-filled cushion, and when pets or children pull at them. Two things that look like faults are not: the little thread under each button is part of its anchor, and so is a small patch of dark backing fabric at a button.
When did you last run your palm across your cushion to feel whether every button sits at the same depth?
Re-sewing a tufting button by feel
Find the spare and watch the video
Before you reattach a tufting button, find the spares that ship with tufted orders and watch the workshop's short video on threading the connecting string. If a button is simply the wrong color, the workshop can send button covers instead.
Use a long needle and strong thread
Choose an upholstery needle longer than the cushion is thick, so it comes out the far side in one pass, and strong upholstery thread. Everyday sewing thread is too light for a tuft.
Leave the neighbors alone
Pull out only the broken thread from this button. Don't trim anything under the buttons around it; those threads are holding their own tufts.
Follow the old path straight through
Push the needle down through the same dimple and out at the matching point on the other face, so the tuft stays where the craftsman set it.
Catch the button on the other side
The thread should catch the button on the far face, so the pair pull against each other through the cushion. Come back up the same path.
Set the depth by feel
Draw the thread until the new dimple matches its neighbors. Lay your palm across three buttons at once; when they feel the same, stop pulling.
Knot it firm and hide the tails
Tie off tight under the button, run the tails into the cushion and snip them flush. On velvet, brush the pile back the way it lies.
Have it made
Measured it? Have Harlan’s workshop make it
Old upholsterers will tell you the real cutting happens in the conversation, long before the shears come out. Tell the workshop what you sit on, and they will talk it through with you. — Harlan
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.
How to spot clean a floor cushion with buttons
- Vacuum the top and sides with a soft brush attachment to lift dust out of the tufts.
- Blot a fresh spill with a dry white cloth. Press; don't rub.
- Wipe the mark gently with a cloth dampened in water and a little mild soap.
- Wipe again with a cloth dampened in plain water to lift the soap.
- Let the cushion dry flat in open air, away from direct heat.
- Never soak it or machine wash it: the buttons go through cover and filling alike.
A mint couch, a loose button and a video
A buyer in the US had a wood-frame couch whose original cushions had worn through. She sent photos and the size, 71 x 25 in (180 x 64 cm) at 7 in (18 cm) thick, and the workshop made new ones 7 to 8 in (18 to 20 cm) thick in mint, matched to the originals so the seat height stayed where the frame wanted it.
Then a tufting button worked loose. Nobody panicked: the workshop sent the sewing video, and the button went back where it belonged.
Spare button, video, needle. Call the maker before you call anyone else, my friend.
Tufted or zippered: which cushion suits which house
| Button-tufted | Plain with a zippered cover | |
|---|---|---|
| Cover comes off? | No; stitched through and closed by hand | Yes; zipper on the back edge or underside |
| How to clean | Spot clean by hand with mild soap and water | Machine wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle, air dry |
| Buttons | Hand-sewn; spares and a video come with the order | None |
| Best for | Reading nooks, window seats and gentle use | Kids' rooms, pets and heavy daily use |
| Sleeping on it | Can be made without buttons, keeping the hand-sewn edges | Many buyers sleep on corduroy and high-density foam pads |
For kids' nooks, choose the washable one
A parent in the US planning a reading nook for young children asked how to clean a linen tufted floor cushion. The workshop told the truth: no washer, only a gentle wipe. For a room of juice cups and crayons it offered the untufted version with a removable, machine-washable cover. The washable builds are in kids' room cushions.
An interior designer in the US went the other way: a tufted linen floor cushion, finally 48 x 79.5 in (122 x 202 cm) after one last site measurement. No zipper, spot clean with mild soap and water, and the designer went ahead, because in that room the buttons were the point.
Decide which matters more before you order. The tufted vs plain Pattern lays out the trade, stain first aid helps with bad spills, and tufted velvet sets live in the floor cushions hub.
Mistakes that loosen a tuft or spoil a cover
- Cutting the thread under a button because it looks untidy.
- Waiting until a loose button's tuft has gone slack.
- Throwing out the spare buttons that came in the box.
- Paying an upholsterer before telling the maker; the workshop has helped toward a local tailor's bill when several buttons came loose.
- Soaking a spill, or putting the whole cushion in the washer.
- Choosing tufted for a toddler's nook when the room needs a zipper.
A tufting button that wobbles today is a slack tuft next month. Re-sew it early, with strong upholstery thread and the spare that came in the box.
Harlan
Buyer questions: buttons, spills and washing
- A common question
A tufting button came off my cushion, and another is the wrong color. What now?
The workshop's answerSew it back on with the spare buttons that ship with tufted orders; the workshop sends a video showing how to thread the string and reattach it properly. For buttons that don't match the photos, such as white instead of dark brown, it can send button covers in the right color.
- A common question
The buttons on my floor cushion already feel loose, and my kid barely sat on it. Is it faulty?
The workshop's answerNot necessarily. The buttons are sewn by hand, and the small thread under each one is part of how they're attached, so don't cut it. Pulling, for example by children, can loosen them. A spare ships with the order, along with a video on re-securing one.
- A common question
Am I supposed to sew a fallen button back on myself?
The workshop's answerThe spare buttons and the workshop's video show how to sew one back through the cushion so the thread catches the button on the other side. If you'd rather not, the workshop has offered to refund a local tailor's fee, so message it before you book one.
- A common question
My tufted cushion has no zipper. How am I meant to keep it clean?
The workshop's answerBy hand, in place: wipe the surface gently with a damp cloth, using a little mild soap and water for marks. The fabrics are chosen to be easy to clean, and the soft fabric range wipes clean most easily. For machine washing, choose the untufted version with a zippered cover.
- A common question
Can I sleep on a tufted floor cushion, or will the buttons dig in?
The workshop's answerMany buyers sleep on the workshop's corduroy and high-density foam cushions, on a cot or as a floor bed, though comfort is personal. A tufted floor cushion can also be made without buttons, keeping the hand-sewn edges.
More on keeping a tufted cushion
What thread holds a tufting button best?
Strong upholstery thread, on a needle long enough to pass through the whole cushion in one go. Re-sew as soon as a button wobbles, before the tuft around it slackens.
Can a tufted cushion have a zipper?
No. Tufting only works when the workshop makes the filling and sews the cover closed around it, so covers-only orders can't be tufted. For a removable cover, the same cushion is made untufted, with a zipper and piping.
Is dark fabric showing at one button a defect?
No. That small patch of darker backing is the anchor the button is sewn against, just like the little thread under each button. Leave both exactly where they are.
My new tufted cushion looks thin. When will it plump up?
Give it three to four days after unpacking, because vacuum packing compresses foam and cover for shipping. A plump tufted cushion comes back on its own. Then measure length edge to edge, width seam to seam and thickness straight up.
