---
title: "Velvet Chair Cushion With Ties for a Ladder-Back: Five Numbers"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/eucalyptus-velvet-ladder-back-dining-chair-pad/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Margaret Holloway, The Piping Queen of Newport"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/maggie/"
published: "2026-06-30"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "chair cushion with ties, dining chair cushion, chair pads, chair cushion, custom size cushion"
---

# Eucalyptus velvet chair pads tied to an oak ladder-back, and the five numbers that make them fit

*Terracotta tiles, warm oak, one cool green note and two linen bows. The photographs carry this page; the cards below carry the numbers.*

> **The quick answer:** A chair cushion with ties for a ladder-back chair needs five measurements: the front edge, the back edge, each side separately, and the depth, with the two back uprights marked on a paper tracing. A ladder-back seat is often wider at the front, so one edge measured alone makes a pad that hangs over the rails. Ties go at the back.

![Eucalyptus green velvet chair pad tied with linen bows to an oak ladder-back chair on a terracotta tile floor](https://cushionguide.com/media/dining-chair-cushions/eucalyptus-velvet-ladder-back-dining-chair-pad-1600.webp "A shaped eucalyptus velvet pad with linen ties softens an oak ladder-back chair in a terracotta-floored kitchen.")

## Morning sun on a country chair

Warm morning sun, a terracotta tile floor, a kilim, a rustic pine side table and a deep-set window: a plain country kitchen corner, and one oak ladder-back chair wearing a [chair cushion with ties](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/dining-chair-cushions/) in eucalyptus green [velvet](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/velvet/).

The pad is cut to the seat, a touch wider at the front than at the back, and it sits about as thick as the seat rail. That proportion is why the chair doesn't look top-heavy. Go much thicker on a slim ladder-back and the cushion starts to look like a hat on a small dog.

Green is the only cool note in a warm room of oak, terracotta and pine. The terracotta jug of rosemary and lavender picks it up, so the color doesn't look stranded. Velvet's short pile shades lighter and darker as the sun moves, which gives a plain green some life.

The ties are oatmeal linen ribbons, knotted to both back uprights. Matching velvet ties would be louder; linen is quieter, and it holds the pad without marking the wood. What does the seat of your own chair measure at the front, and at the back?

## Pinned by Maggie

Five pins, from the shaped pad to the jug of rosemary that repeats its green.

1. **Eucalyptus velvet pad**: The pad is cut to the seat shape, a little wider at the front, so it doesn't hang over the rails.
2. **Side bow**: Linen ties knotted to the back upright hold the pad without marking the wood.
3. **Back tie**: A second tie on the far upright stops the pad from swinging sideways.
4. **Jug of rosemary**: Herbs in a terracotta jug repeat both the green velvet and the red floor.
5. **Kilim rug**: A patterned rug under a plain chair keeps the corner lively.

## Five numbers for a ladder-back seat, and where each goes wrong

Write them on a paper tracing of the seat, in inches. The [dining chair pad pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/dining-chair-pad-measurements/) has the diagram.

| Measure | How | Where it goes wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Front edge | Straight across, corner to corner | Taken at the back instead, so a tapered pad hangs over the front rails |
| Back edge | Across the back of the seat, both uprights marked | Uprights left off, so the ties land where there is nothing to tie to |
| Left side | Front corner to back corner | Assumed to match the right side |
| Right side | Measured on its own | Copied from the left; old chairs are not always square |
| Depth | Front to back through the middle | Mixed up with thickness, which is how tall the pad stands |

## Eight velvet pads and a one-week wish

A buyer in the US needed eight velvet seat cushions, each 17 x 18 in (43 x 46 cm), piped and tied, in color 904, and hoped to have them within about a week. The workshop's ordering advice was practical: choose the 18 x 18 in option and write 17 x 18 in the note, because the exact size is what gets cut.

Eight pieces earned a batch discount, and ties were no trouble. The calendar was the trouble: the earliest delivery was about two weeks out. Planning ahead is the only fix for that.

## Buyer questions: ottomans, old chairs and covers only

**A common question:** Can I buy only the ottoman for the floor sofa, and what size is it?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. The ottoman is 39 x 39 in (100 x 100 cm), made in the color you choose, brick for example, to match a sofa you already own. It doesn't need metal bars.

**A common question:** Can you make tie-on cushions for vintage ladder-back dining chairs?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. Send a photo, the quantity and the sizes on a simple diagram, including the left and right side edges. Ties go at the back to hold the pads, and the covers are removable and washable. One set of four 4 in (10 cm) pads measured about 11 in (28 cm) along the sides, with 13 in and 14 in (33 and 36 cm) across the two ends.

**A common question:** Can you make zippered covers only, to fit foam I already have?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes; send the foam sizes. For a porch swing, covers with extra-strong zippers were made for a 55.25 x 27.75 x 4 in (140 x 70.5 x 10 cm) seat and a 50 x 13 x 4 in (127 x 33 x 10 cm) back pad, with no inserts.

> A ladder-back chair seat can be wider at the front than at the back. Measure the front, the back and both sides, and mark the two uprights on a tracing.
>
> — Maggie

> **Tailor's margin:** Eight custom velvet chair pads ordered for an event were still about two weeks from delivery. Order chair pads for a party well ahead of the date.

## On the cutting table

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Cushion | Shaped dining chair pad, box edge, a touch wider at the front |
| Fabric | Eucalyptus green velvet, short pile |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Ties | Oatmeal linen ribbons, knotted to both back uprights |
| Thickness | About as thick as the seat rail, so the chair doesn't look top-heavy |
| What to send | A paper tracing with both uprights marked, plus every edge in inches |
| Care | Indoors only; zippered cover washes at 86°F (30°C) max on gentle, air dry |
| Best for | Farmhouse kitchens and oak ladder-back sets |

## Questions buyers ask next

### How thick should a ladder-back chair pad be?

Thin enough to keep the chair's lines. A pad about as thick as the seat rail adds comfort without making a slim chair look top-heavy. One set of vintage ladder-back pads was made 4 in (10 cm) thick; compare with your rail before choosing.

### Why use linen ties on a velvet chair pad?

Linen ties are quieter than matching velvet ties, and they hold the pad to the back uprights without marking the wood. Ties can be sewn into the seams at the corners or the back, in any position you mark on the tracing.

### Is velvet practical for kitchen chairs?

Yes, indoors. It is a polyester performance velvet with a short, tight pile that is easy to spot-clean, and the zippered cover washes at 86°F (30°C) on gentle. It is not water-resistant, and the pile shades lighter or darker with the light.

### What if my dining chairs are not all the same size?

Measure each one. Every cushion size is its own order line, and several lines are made and shipped together. Write which pad belongs to which chair, so a slightly wider seat gets a pad of its own.

## Related at the atelier

- [Chair Cushion in Turquoise Velvet: A Tapered-Seat Project](https://cushionguide.com/readings/turquoise-velvet-chair-cushion-low-angle-corner/): Most old chair seats are tapered, so measure the front width, the back width and the depth separately before ordering a velvet chair cushion.
- [Chair Cushion with Ties: Turquoise Velvet Dining Chair Pad](https://cushionguide.com/readings/turquoise-velvet-seat-white-dining-chair-overhead/): A dining chair cushion with ties borrows the best idea from patio chairs: two ties at the back posts keep the pad in place every time the chair is pulled out.
- [Chair Cushion With Ties: Teal Velvet Box Pad, Front View](https://cushionguide.com/readings/teal-velvet-box-cushion-front-view-gusset/): A chair cushion with ties is easiest to judge from a straight-on photo: the front gusset shows its height against the seat rail, and the top welt must run level from corner to corner.
- [Trapezoid chair cushions: dining pads for seats wider at the front](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/tapered-dining-chair-pads/): A trapezoid chair cushion is a dining chair pad cut wider at the front than the back, made from your seat's own edges instead of one width and one depth.
- [One table, two kinds of seat: matching bench and chair cushions](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/matching-dining-bench-and-chair-cushions/): Matching dining bench and chair cushions read as one set when color, piping and seat height agree.
- [Farmhouse chair cushions with ties, from ladder-backs to golden oak](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/farmhouse-chair-cushions-with-ties/): Farmhouse chair cushions with ties are made to each seat's own measurements, and the ties are an add-on you must request in writing.
- [How to measure dining chairs for seat pads with ties](https://cushionguide.com/guides/dining-chair-pad-measurements/)
- [Velvet seat cushions: how the pile catches the light on a chair](https://cushionguide.com/guides/velvet-seat-cushions/)

*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/eucalyptus-velvet-ladder-back-dining-chair-pad/