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A Reading by RosaWindow Seat Cushions

A deep teal velvet window seat cushion, a ginger cat, and an order written right

The cat found it first. My notes on a sunny window seat, and on the chart numbers, swatch cards and messages that get a cushion made right on the first try.

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The Porch Keeper of SavannahPublished Updated 5 min read

Deep teal velvet window seat cushion with a ginger cat asleep beside an open book and oatmeal throwSave
The warmest seat in the house: deep teal velvet in the afternoon sun, already claimed by the cat.

The quick answer

To order a velvet window seat cushion right the first time, quote the fabric code from the color chart you are actually looking at, write exact sizes in your order note, and send a photo with the tape measure in it. Chart numbers and swatch cards can differ, so the workshop goes by the color you picked from the chart.

What the afternoon sun shows

Every house has one seat that gets claimed. On my grandmother's porch it was the swing. In this house it is the window seat, and the ginger cat got there first.

Look at what the cushion is doing. It runs the full length of the cream paneled seat and it is deep, so the sunny spot reads as a proper little daybed, not a ledge with a pad on it. The front edge is boxed and self-piped, and it stays firm where people and pets hop up. A soft front edge is the first thing to sag on a window seat cushion.

The color is deep teal velvet. Dark enough to forgive a dusty paw print. Ginger fur against deep teal is close to a complementary pair, which is why your eye goes straight to the cat. The cream paneling does the same favor for the cushion.

The book lies open at the far end. The oatmeal throw is folded at the other. Both are pushed aside, leaving the middle to whoever gets there first. Usually that is the cat.

Now the honest part. Velvet pile catches pet hair. If a cat or a dog owns your window seat, ask for a zippered cover so it can come off, or look at a tighter pet-friendly weave in a similar teal. The velvet care Pattern covers pile and crushing, and the velvet swatches are in the Swatch Library.

Kids and dogs are the real quality control. Cats too, it turns out.

Who claims the window seat at your house, neighbor?

The narrow window seat order, in numbers

PieceOrdered asMade asNote
Seat cushion14 x 48 in size option13.5 x 49 in (34 x 124 cm)Tufted, for a 13.5 in deep seat
BackrestA second cushionAbout 16 in (41 cm) tallStands at the wall end
Second windowCustom size11.5 x 58.5 in (29 x 149 cm)Emerald velvet, color 64, one handle

From a past order. The color went by the chart the buyer picked from.

Notes pinned around the cat

Five pins, from the sleeping cat to the paneling that makes the teal glow.

Pinned: Deep teal velvet window seat cushion with a ginger cat asleep beside an open book and oatmeal throw
  1. Sleeping ginger cat

    Ginger fur against deep teal is a near-complementary pairing, which is why the cat stands out.

  2. Open book

    The book at the far end leaves room for the cat, as it usually does.

  3. Oatmeal throw

    The throw at the end softens the corner and gives the cat somewhere to move to.

  4. Self-piped front edge

    A firm front edge stops the cushion sagging where people and pets hop up.

  5. Paneled base

    Cream paneling lets the deep teal stand out.

  1. Sleeping ginger catGinger fur against deep teal is a near-complementary pairing, which is why the cat stands out.
  2. Open bookThe book at the far end leaves room for the cat, as it usually does.
  3. Oatmeal throwThe throw at the end softens the corner and gives the cat somewhere to move to.
  4. Self-piped front edgeA firm front edge stops the cushion sagging where people and pets hop up.
  5. Paneled baseCream paneling lets the deep teal stand out.

The order note, line by line

  1. Name the chart

    Write the fabric code as it appears on the color chart in front of you. A number from a different swatch card can point to a different color.

  2. Label every size

    Write length x depth x thickness and say which number is which. Depth and thickness are the pair people swap most.

  3. Mark the angles

    For a bay seat with extra points, order by depth and overall length, then upload a photo with every measurement written on it.

  4. Say what the cushion must do

    A backrest to lean on? A handle? A seat the cat sleeps on? One plain line saves a round of messages.

  5. Order swatches when unsure

    Velvet shifts with the light and the direction of the pile. A swatch in your own window settles it.

A real project

Thirteen and a half inches deep

A buyer wrote in about a narrow window seat, only 13.5 in (34 cm) deep. They wanted a tufted cushion, plus something to lean on at the wall end.

The workshop had them order the 14 x 48 in option and made it to 13.5 x 49 in (34 x 124 cm). For the backrest the suggestion was simple: buy two cushions and stand one up. Those are usually made about 16 in (41 cm) tall.

Then the colors. The chart numbers the buyer had did not match the swatches shown on the product page, so the workshop went by the color picked from the chart itself. A second cushion followed for another window, 11.5 x 58.5 in (29 x 149 cm), in emerald velvet, color 64, with one handle.

Here is the lesson I would tape to the fridge: the chart in your hand is the only chart that counts. The personalization note Pattern shows what to write.

Sizes
13.5 x 49 in (34 x 124 cm) seat; backrest about 16 in (41 cm) tall; second cushion 11.5 x 58.5 in (29 x 149 cm)

The lesson: Confirm color by the chart you are looking at, not by a number from a different swatch card.

Buyer questions: flat boxes, odd shapes, your own cloth

  1. A common question

    My cushion came flat and out of shape. Will it recover?

    The workshop's answer

    Usually, yes. Cushions are tightly vacuum-packed for shipping, so they often arrive flattened. Most regain full shape within 24 to 48 hours; for one opened that same day, the advice was to give it 3 to 5 days. If it still hasn't recovered, send photos or a video.

  2. A common question

    Can you make a bay window cushion shaped like a trapezoid with extra points?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Trapezoid variations with extra points and angles are exactly the custom shapes the workshop makes. Order from the trapezoid cushion page using the depth and the overall length, and upload your pictures with measurements at checkout.

  3. A common question

    If I send you my own fabric, can you make the cushions from it?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. You can post your own fabric to the workshop and the cushions are made from it; the workshop asks what the fabric is first. One buyer did this for three French mattress cushions of 46.5 x 24.75 x 4 in (118 x 63 x 10 cm).

Quote the fabric code from the color chart in your hand. A number from a different swatch card can point to a different velvet color.

Rosa
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On the cutting table

CushionWindow seat cushion, full length of a paneled seat
FabricDeep teal velvet
EdgeBoxed, with a firm front edge
PipingSelf piping
With petsAsk for a zippered cover; velvet pile holds hair
Backrest optionA second cushion stood on end, usually about 16 in (41 cm) tall
ArrivalVacuum-packed; 24 to 48 hours to recover, up to 3 to 5 days
Best forA sunny window seat shared by a reader and a cat

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Rosa’s workshop

Swings sway, rockers rock, dogs circle three times. Tell the workshop what your seat goes through, and they will plan for it. — Rosa

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.

Fabric · Foam · Pipingwhat the workshop will confirm with you

Fabric
Deep teal velvet
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Self piping
Only for this request: no marketing calls or texts. Outside the US, add the country code.
In inches: length × depth × thickness, plus any angles or cut corners.

* Required. A member of the workshop team will call you to talk it through; nothing is charged and nothing is made until you have agreed on every detail with them.

We use these details only to answer this request and make your cushion: your name and contact details, the cushion details and photos you send, the page you came from and the ad or link that brought you, if any. The workshop that makes the cushions receives them. We don't sell them or share them for advertising, and we delete requests after 24 months. Privacy notice for requests.

Nothing is made or charged until you approve the details.

Want to pick the shape and add photos? Use the full quote form

Questions buyers ask next

Does velvet work on a window seat with pets?

It works, with one catch: velvet pile holds pet hair. A deep color like teal hides dusty paw prints, and a zippered cover lets you wash it. If a pet sleeps there every day, compare a tighter pet-friendly weave in a similar color.

Why don't fabric code numbers match between charts?

Different swatch cards can number colors differently. In one real order, the chart numbers did not match the swatches on the product page, so the workshop made the cushion in the color picked from the chart. Always quote the chart you are looking at.

How do I add a backrest to a narrow window seat?

Order a second cushion and stand it against the wall at one end. The workshop usually makes that backrest about 16 in (41 cm) tall. It turns a shallow 13.5 in seat into a place to lean back with a book.

What belongs in the order note for a custom window seat cushion?

Length, depth and thickness, each labeled; the fabric code from your chart; piping or none; and anything special, like a handle or a backrest. Add a photo with the tape measure in the shot.

Porch light's on — Rosa

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