---
title: "Custom Bench Cushion Measuring, Seen in a Knotted Stripe Corner"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/black-cream-knotted-stripe-cushion-corner-gray/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Margaret Holloway, The Piping Queen of Newport"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/maggie/"
published: "2026-01-26"
updated: "2026-01-26"
keywords: "custom bench cushion, bench cushion, striped bench cushion, floor cushion, made to measure cushion"
---

# A letter on measuring a custom bench cushion, written from one knotted-stripe corner

*A corner this close shows every seam. It also shows exactly where the tape measure belongs, and where people point it instead.*

> **The quick answer:** To measure for a custom bench cushion, measure the bench itself: length end to end, depth from the front edge to the wall, and the thickness you want to sit on. Make the size you select match the numbers in your order note. A vacuum-packed cushion can measure short at first, so let it recover before you check it.

![Corner of a box cushion in black, gray and cream woven stripes with raised knot rows and self piping on a gray backdrop](https://cushionguide.com/media/bench-cushions/black-cream-knotted-stripe-cushion-corner-gray-1600.webp "Knotted yarn rows sit proud of the flat stripes, so this monochrome weave still reads textured in a black-and-white room.")

## What the corner gives away

I have your photograph of the corner propped against my sewing machine, and it is a handsome thing: a [custom bench cushion](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bench-cushions/) in a black, gray and cream woven stripe with rows of raised knots, shot low on a pale gray floor with the light coming from the side.

Those knots sit proud of the flat weave and throw tiny shadows, which is where a monochrome cloth gets its depth. The piping is self piping, cut from the same cloth, so the outline follows the stripe instead of drawing a hard line around it. Now look at the side band. The knot rows run the length of the top and turn vertical on the side, which is how the cloth falls on a long bench cushion. A second piped seam at the base keeps that boxing strip straight under weight.

No color to speak of, and it needs none. An entry with a concrete floor, or a black-and-white loft, would take this weave happily.

Before you order anything like it, walk through the [bench measuring pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/how-to-measure-bench-for-cushion/) or put your numbers into the [bench cushion builder](https://cushionguide.com/studio/bench-cushion-builder/); the stripe itself lives under [striped cotton and ticking](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/striped-cotton-and-ticking/). What does your bench measure, end to end?

## Four pins, knots to base seam

Four pins, from the raised knots on top down to the piped seam at the base.

1. **Raised knot rows**: The knots sit proud of the flat weave and throw tiny shadows, which is where this cloth gets its depth.
2. **Self-piped corner**: Piping cut from the same cloth lets the outline follow the stripe instead of drawing a separate line.
3. **Vertical knot column**: On the side panel the knot rows turn vertical, the way a long bench cushion is normally cut.
4. **Bottom seam**: A second piped seam at the base keeps the boxing strip straight when the cushion is sat on.

## Where the tape goes, and where it wanders

1. **Measure the bench, not the cushion you used to have**: Old cushions sag and mislead. Tape the seat itself, end to end.
2. **Length, then depth, then thickness**: Length along the seat, depth from the front edge to the wall, thickness as the height you want to sit at. Piping sits on the seam line and adds nothing to the size.
3. **Match the note to the menu**: The size you select at checkout and the size in your note must agree. The workshop reads both.
4. **Decide one piece or two before cutting**: Around 90 in (229 cm) and longer, a bench cushion can be one continuous piece or two equal halves. Choose now, not after the cloth is cut.
5. **Measure again once it has recovered**: A vacuum-packed cushion can come out short on day one. Open it promptly, give the foam time, then check it against the order.

## The entry bench that came up short, then didn't

A buyer in the US ordered a velvet cushion, 14 x 56.25 in (35.5 x 143 cm), in light tan, for the entry bench of a newly built house, and asked the workshop to hold it until after the move.

When it was finally opened, it measured about 54.5 x 14.75 in (138.5 x 37.5 cm) and left a gap at the wall. The workshop asked for photos with a tape measure in them and explained that vacuum compression can shrink a cushion for a while. Then it offered a remake at a discount, in a mushroom taupe velvet at 2 in (5 cm) thick, with one piece of advice: open the package quickly, because velvet left folded picks up creases.

A held order is a kindness. A vacuum pack left sealed for weeks is a gamble.

## Buyer questions

**A common question:** I picked the wrong size at checkout. What happens now?

**The workshop's answer:** The workshop compares your note with the size you paid for. When a note asked for 16 x 75.5 in (41 x 192 cm) but the 16 x 32 in (41 x 81 cm) option was chosen, it offered a payment link for the difference, or to make the standard size instead.

**A common question:** What's the longest bench cushion you can make in one piece? We really don't want two.

**The workshop's answer:** A long cushion such as 102 x 18 in (259 x 46 cm) can be split into two equal 51 x 18 in (130 x 46 cm) pieces, but it can also be made as one continuous piece if you prefer. A 90 x 18 in (229 x 46 cm) linen cushion was quoted as a single piece.

**A common question:** Could two teddy sofas be joined into an L-shaped sectional?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Order two teddy sofas and the workshop swaps two of the corner backrests for straight ones, which turns them into a corner layout. It has built this arrangement before.

> Check the size you select at checkout against the size in your order note: a 16 x 32 in option will not cover a 16 x 75.5 in bench.
>
> — Maggie

> **Tailor's margin:** A vacuum-packed bench cushion can measure short on day one. Open the box promptly, let the foam recover, then take out the tape.

## The corner, measured and specified

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Cushion | Box bench cushion, self piping at top and bottom seams |
| Fabric | Woven stripe in black, gray and cream with raised knot rows |
| Stripe layout | Knot rows run the length on top and turn vertical on the side band |
| What to measure | Length and depth of the bench itself, plus the thickness you want |
| Long benches | One continuous piece or two equal halves |
| Order check | Selected size must match the personalization note |
| On arrival | Open promptly; measure after the foam recovers |
| Best for | Entry benches, lofts and black-and-white rooms |

## Questions buyers ask next

### Does piping make a bench cushion bigger than ordered?

No. Piping is sewn into the seam line, so the length, depth and thickness stay as ordered. Self piping at the top and bottom seams also helps keep the side band straight when someone sits.

### Why would a new bench cushion measure shorter than the order?

Vacuum compression can shrink a cushion temporarily. Open the package soon after it arrives, let the foam recover, then measure with a tape and send photos if it is still short. Velvet left folded for weeks can also crease.

### Should the knot rows on a striped bench cushion run lengthwise?

Usually along the length of the top, turning vertical on the side band, which is how a long bench cushion is normally cut. It keeps the pattern continuous. If you want another direction, say so in the order note.

## Related at the atelier

- [Custom Bench Cushion Thickness: Proportion in a Knotted Stripe](https://cushionguide.com/readings/sand-taupe-knotted-stripe-cushion-neutral/): A custom bench cushion should fill the gap between your bench top and a finished seat height of about 18 in (46 cm) for dining and everyday sitting.
- [Custom Bench Cushion for an Entryway: Taupe Wide Stripe](https://cushionguide.com/readings/taupe-wide-stripe-oak-hall-bench-cushion/): A custom entryway bench cushion changes a front hall more than any other single piece, because it turns a bare bench into a seat and sets the palette for everything around it.
- [Striped Bench Cushion in Terracotta and Ochre: How It Wears](https://cushionguide.com/readings/terracotta-ochre-knotted-stripe-box-cushion-closeup/): A knotted-stripe cotton like this terracotta and ochre one has a flat cotton ground with raised knot rows you can feel, looks calmest as a box cushion with self piping, and is easiest to live with…
- [Navy ticking on a bench: which way the stripe runs and why](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/navy-ticking-stripe-cushions/): On a ticking stripe bench cushion, the stripes run front to back across the depth by default, because the roll is about 55 in (140 cm) wide and long stripes on a longer cushion would need a seam.
- [Can you make a bench cushion to fit my IKEA Besta?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/media-unit-bench-cushion-custom-size/): Yes, a bench cushion for an IKEA Besta can be made to the exact size of your unit.
- [How to order a custom cushion size that isn't in the size menu](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-size-cushion-not-on-menu/): To order a custom size cushion that isn't on the menu, choose the size option that covers your measurements, or the next larger one if you fall between two, and write the exact length x depth x…
- [Striped cushions: which way the stripes run, and why](https://cushionguide.com/guides/striped-cushion-stripe-direction/)

*Stitch straight — Maggie*

---

Written by Margaret Holloway (https://cushionguide.com/masters/maggie/) 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/readings/black-cream-knotted-stripe-cushion-corner-gray/