---
title: "Porch Swing Cushions in Indiana: Farm Porches, Dunes, Cabins"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-indiana/"
section: "Across the Map"
author: "Rosa Delgado, The Porch Keeper of Savannah"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/"
published: "2026-02-25"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "porch swing cushions indiana, outdoor cushions indiana, custom cushions indiana, rocking chair cushions indiana, three-season porch cushions"
---

# Porch swing cushions for Indiana farmhouses, bungalows and dune cottages

*Indiana lands in the top ten states for porch swing cushion searches, which tells me what I'd already guessed: Hoosiers sit outside. Here's how to dress a swing so it stays put through a sticky summer and comes back clean next spring.*

> **The quick answer:** Porch swing cushions for Indiana porches should be cut to the space between the swing's arms, tied at the back corners and made in outdoor fabric on open or screened porches. Indianapolis averages about 113 nights a year at or below 32°F, so bring swing cushions in before the first freeze, and wash the zippered covers at 86°F (30°C) after the humid summer.

![Dove gray box cushion on a white hanging porch swing with navy ticking, pale blue and botanical pillows](https://cushionguide.com/media/porch-swing-cushions/dove-gray-porch-swing-cushion-white-railed-porch-1600.webp "A pale gray seat cushion keeps a white porch swing fresh, with three pillows layered at one end.")

## Wet Mays, sticky Augusts and 113 freezing nights

Pull up a chair, because Indiana weather has an opinion about every porch cushion.

Indianapolis gets 43.63 in (111 cm) of precipitation a year, and May and June are the wettest months at about 4.75 and 4.95 in. It averages 127 days with measurable rain or snow, and August and September mornings average 86% relative humidity. A cushion that soaks up a June storm during a muggy week won't dry by itself overnight.

Winter is real: about 113 nights a year at or below 32°F (0°C) and 25.5 in (65 cm) of snow in Indianapolis. Up by the dunes, South Bend averages 64.5 in (164 cm) of snow and 140 wet days. Down south, Evansville is gentler in winter, with about 95 freezing nights, and hotter in summer, with 42 days at 90°F (32°C) or above.

Sun is the mildest of your troubles. Indianapolis gets about 51% of possible sunshine and 179 cloudy days a year, so fading comes slower here than down South. Damp is the thing to beat, and the EPA's rule is the one I live by: get anything soaked dry within 24 to 48 hours.

## Farm porches, Indy bungalows, dune cottages and Brown County cabins

Indiana helped name a house. In the 1930s a geographer called the tall, one-room-deep farmhouse the I-house because it was so common on farms in Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, and many of them wear a porch across the front. Out in the country, that porch holds the swing and a row of rockers.

In Indianapolis, farmland in what's now Butler-Tarkington gave way to middle-class bungalows between 1910 and 1920, set close to the street along the streetcar line. Bungalows and Foursquares like those carry deep front porches, and plenty have been closed in as three-season rooms.

Up north, Indiana Dunes National Park runs along 15 miles (24 km) of Lake Michigan shoreline, and the cottages near it have screened porches and damp mornings; the [Great Lakes cottage notes](https://cushionguide.com/places/great-lakes-cottage-cushions/) cover closing one for winter. Down south, painters started the Brown County Art Colony in 1907, and the county, nearly 90% forest, is still cabin country.

Every one of those porches asks the same three things of a swing cushion: the right size between the arms, ties that hold, and fabric that forgives damp. The [porch swing size Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/porch-swing-cushion-sizes/) walks through the measuring, and [porch swing cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/porch-swing-cushions/) gathers the rest.

## Swing, rocker, screened porch, cabin: what I'd sew for each

| Seat | Fabric | Foam and thickness | Piping and hold-down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farmhouse porch swing | Outdoor fabric, water-repellent and UV-resistant | 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm) seat; back as its own labeled piece | Self-piping; ties at the back corners, long enough to double-knot |
| Rocking chair on an open porch | Outdoor fabric | Traced paper template, about 3 in (7.5 cm) | Two ties at the back corners |
| Three-season or screened porch loveseat | Outdoor fabric, because pollen, dust and humid air come through the screen | 4 in (10 cm) | Contrast piping is fine; zippered covers for wash day |
| Bungalow window seat | Velvet, linen-look or corduroy | 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm) | Self or contrast piping; non-slip base on painted wood |
| Brown County cabin bench | Performance weave or velvet | 4 in (10 cm), zippered | A second cover set to swap on turnover days |

## A wicker loveseat, a green stripe and a party on the calendar

A buyer in the US started small: one cushion with rounded corners for an oval wicker loveseat on her covered patio. Then she added a chair cushion. Then the whole outdoor couch.

By the time she was done, the order was a green-and-white stripe with piping: a 17 x 20 in (43 x 51 cm) chair cushion, a 37 x 19 in (94 x 48 cm) loveseat cushion, three 17 in (43 cm) pillows, and couch pieces at 20 x 20 in and 22 x 20 in (51 x 51 and 56 x 51 cm), three of each. The workshop priced it as one set, and it arrived before her party. She wrote back that she cried because they looked so beautiful.

Two lessons from that porch, neighbor. List every piece in one message, rounded corners included, so it's priced and cut as a set. And put your party date on the order the day you place it, not the week before.

## The Indiana porch year

- ✓ March: measure the swing between the arms and order. Nationally, porch swing cushion searches climb in March and peak in May, and so does the line.
- ✓ May and June, the wettest stretch: after a storm, stand swing cushions on edge under the porch roof and get them dry within 24 to 48 hours.
- ✓ Early summer: check every tie before the first big family weekend. Double knots around the slats, not bows.
- ✓ Late August: unzip the covers, wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle and air dry. No tumble dryer, and never for a non-slip base.
- ✓ October: before the first freeze, swing and rocker cushions come inside, dry and off the concrete.
- ✓ Cabin owners: swap in the spare covers at every turnover and wash the used set.

## Hydrangea blue, barn red and dune sand

Porch color here comes from what grows around the porch. On a white farmhouse rail I like dove gray with navy ticking pillows, the pairing in the photo up top, because it hides summer dust and doesn't argue with the hydrangeas. Near the dunes, sand, ivory and slate blue look right against weathered shingles. In a Brown County cabin, rust, brown and forest green sit easy against the logs.

Stripes are a porch classic. On a long swing seat the fabric roll decides which way they run, so read the [stripe direction Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/striped-cushion-stripe-direction/) before you fall in love. Cotton ticking is lovely but stains more easily; on a swing that meets popsicles, pick an outdoor stripe from the [outdoor fabric](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/outdoor-acrylic/) range.

What color is your porch ceiling? Start there. The cushion should agree with it.

> Order a porch swing cushion by the space between the arms, and the ties by the slats they wrap. Neither number is on the box.
>
> — Rosa

> **Tailor's margin:** Screened porch? Treat it as outdoors. Pollen, dust and August damp come straight through the screen.

## Buyer questions: swings, screens and wash day

**A common question:** We already have good foam for our hanging porch swing. Can you make zippered covers only?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Send the foam sizes. Covers with extra-strong zippers have been made for a swing's 55.25 x 27.75 x 4 in (140 x 70 x 10 cm) seat and 50 x 13 x 4 in (127 x 33 x 10 cm) back pad, with no inserts.

**A common question:** Can you add ties to the back corners so the cushion ties to the swing or chair?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes, free of charge: on the back of chair pillows or on the two back corners of a bench-style cushion. Write the request with your exact size in the Add Personalization section. Ties can match the piping or contrast with it.

**A common question:** Can I use your regular cushions on a covered or screened porch?

**The workshop's answer:** Under a closed roof the regular fabrics are fine. Anywhere open to the air, the cushions are made in outdoor fabric, and any piece can be, seat, backrest or bolster, screened porches included.

**A common question:** Can I take the cover off and put it in the washing machine?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Covers are fully zippered and removable. Machine wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle, air dry instead of tumble drying, and iron on low if needed. Non-slip pads in particular don't tolerate the dryer.

**A common question:** We have a small dog and a toddler. Which fabric should we choose?

**The workshop's answer:** The striped fabrics are 100% cotton, beautiful but quicker to stain. For easy cleaning choose the linen, soft or velvet ranges, all with removable, machine-washable covers. If the dog will be on the cushion constantly, the pet-friendly chart has extra-durable fabrics.

## Indiana porch questions

### When should porch swing cushions come in for an Indiana winter?

Before the first freeze. Indianapolis averages about 113 nights a year at or below 32°F (0°C) and South Bend about 130. Water in foam freezes and thaws without drying, so store swing cushions clean, fully dry and off concrete until spring.

### Is a three-season porch indoors or outdoors when choosing cushion fabric?

Outdoors, if it's screened or the windows stay open in summer, because pollen, dust and humid air reach the seat. A porch fully closed in with glass and shut in wet weather can take the regular indoor fabrics.

### Do cushions for a cottage near the Indiana Dunes need anything special?

Outdoor fabric on porches and decks, and ties or a non-slip base for the wind off the lake. Winters there are snowy: South Bend averages 64.5 in (164 cm) of snow. Wash covers, dry the foam fully and store everything before you close up.

### How thick should an Indiana porch swing cushion be?

Three to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm) is the everyday range. The foam is firm, about 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³), so 3 in still supports and sits neatly under a back pillow, while 4 in feels plumper for long evenings. Order the back as its own labeled piece.

## Related at the atelier

- [Custom cushions for Georgia porches, from Savannah squares to Atlanta bungalows](https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-georgia/): Custom cushions in Georgia should be cut in water-repellent, UV-resistant outdoor fabric for any porch that rain or sun can reach, with zip-off covers you wash after the spring pollen and again…
- [Porch swing cushions for Arkansas porches, cabins and lake houses](https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-arkansas/): Porch swing cushions in Arkansas should be made in water-repellent, UV-resistant outdoor fabric with ties at the back corners, because spring brings the state's worst storms and most of its tornadoes.
- [Outdoor cushions for Oklahoma porches, patios and storm season](https://cushionguide.com/places/custom-cushions-oklahoma/): Outdoor cushions in Oklahoma need water-repellent, UV-resistant outdoor fabric in mid-tones that forgive red dirt, ties on every piece the wind can lift, and a carry-in plan for storm season, when…
- [Three-Piece Window Seat Cushion in Chocolate for a Library Nook](https://cushionguide.com/readings/three-piece-chocolate-window-seat-oak-library/): Split a long window seat cushion into sections when the seat runs longer than about 59 in (150 cm) or has lift-up storage lids.
- [Window Seat Cushion in Mushroom Taupe with Tonal Brown Piping](https://cushionguide.com/readings/mushroom-taupe-window-seat-tonal-brown-piping/): A tonal window seat cushion mixes value and texture instead of prints: pick three shades of one color for seat, piping and pillow.
- [Window Seat Cushion in Mustard: One Long Piece or Three?](https://cushionguide.com/readings/mustard-window-seat-cushion-border-terrier-afternoon-sun/): A window seat cushion for a 96-inch bench is often easier to live with as three equal pieces than as one long one.
- [Cushion tie placement for chairs, porch swings and benches](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-tie-placement-chairs-swings/)
- [Sunroom and three-season room cushions: fabric for sun, heat and damp](https://cushionguide.com/guides/sunroom-cushion-fabric-humidity/)

*Porch light's on — Rosa*

---

Written by Rosa Delgado (https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/) 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/places/custom-cushions-indiana/