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A Reading by MaggieBench Cushions

Forest green corduroy on an oak bench: notes on how the cloth feels, wears and washes

Close-ups are where a cushion confesses. This one had nothing to hide, so I took notes the old way, in pencil, down the side of the page.

Read by

The Piping Queen of NewportPublished 4 min read

Forest green corduroy bench cushion with beaded self piping on an oak bench beside a limewash wall and wicker basketSave
A close view of forest green cord and its beaded piping resting on a pale oak bench.

The quick answer

A wide-wale corduroy bench cushion feels soft and ribbed, hides small marks between its wales and washes on a gentle program at 86°F (30°C). Beaded self piping in the same green gives the box edge a crisp, rope-like line. Order a green a shade deeper than you think, because cord looks lighter where light catches the ribs.

Thumbnail on the wale

Run a thumbnail across this corduroy bench cushion and it bumps along chunky ribs. That's wide-wale cord: soft to sit on, with a raised pile that takes the hardness out of an oak bench and hides small marks down in the channels between the ribs.

The color is forest green, deep enough to read like moss on wood against the pale oak. Watch where the light lands, though. Cord looks lighter wherever light catches the ribs, so the green on a sunny edge is paler than the green in shadow. Order a shade deeper than you think you want, dear.

The edge is beaded self piping: a cord wrapped in the same green, giving the box a crisp, rope-like line. Down the whole length of the shot that line stays straight and the top stays flat, which is what a well-fitted insert looks like. A straight welt is a kind of honesty.

For wale direction and nap, the corduroy Pattern goes deeper, and the corduroy swatch page shows the colors side by side.

The seven-piece set, read back

PieceInchesCentimeters
Long bench70 7/8 × 17 3/4 × about 4180 × 45 × 10
Four seats29 1/2 × 17 3/4 × about 4 each75 × 45 × 10 each
Small seat13 3/4 × 17 3/4 × about 435 × 45 × 10
Smallest seat11 3/4 × 17 3/4 × about 430 × 45 × 10

All seven share one depth; the workshop worked from the centimeters the buyer measured in.

Five pins along the bench

Five pins, taken left to right along the bench.

Pinned: Forest green corduroy bench cushion with beaded self piping on an oak bench beside a limewash wall and wicker basket
  1. Beaded self piping

    Corded piping in the same green gives a crisp, rope-like edge to the box.

  2. Wide wale texture

    Chunky ribs soften the bench and hide small marks.

  3. Oak bench frame

    The cushion stops flush with the oak so the wood edge stays on show.

  4. Wicker basket

    A natural basket repeats the warm tone of the oak.

  5. Limewash wall

    Soft plaster keeps the deep green from looking heavy.

  1. Beaded self pipingCorded piping in the same green gives a crisp, rope-like edge to the box.
  2. Wide wale textureChunky ribs soften the bench and hide small marks.
  3. Oak bench frameThe cushion stops flush with the oak so the wood edge stays on show.
  4. Wicker basketA natural basket repeats the warm tone of the oak.
  5. Limewash wallSoft plaster keeps the deep green from looking heavy.

Wear and wash, in the margin

  • Wide wales hide small marks down between the ribs.
  • The cover washes at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle program.
  • Beaded self piping keeps a straight edge where legs brush past.
  • Cord reads lighter where light catches the ribs, so choose a shade deeper.
  • Cut the cushion flush with the frame and the oak edge stays on show.
  • Let nothing compete with the cloth: one wicker basket, a bare limewash wall, a bare floor.
A real project

Seven cushions, one unit of measure

Seven corduroy cushions came up in one conversation, for a set of benches and seats: one long piece, four medium ones and two small ones, all the same depth. Partway through, they raised the thickness to about 4 in (10 cm), and the quote rose with it. They also switched between two corduroy shades before ordering.

They had measured in centimeters, and the workshop asked for the sizes back in centimeters. Converting late is how a 17¾ in (45 cm) depth turns into 17 1/2 or 18 in and nobody is sure which. Once the numbers came back in the unit they were measured in, the order was simple.

Later they asked how to wash the covers: 86°F (30°C) on a gentle program. What did you measure your bench in, inches or centimeters?

Sizes
seven pieces, all 17 3/4 in (45 cm) deep, about 4 in (10 cm) thick
Fabric
Corduroy, switched between two shades before ordering

The lesson: Send sizes in the unit you actually measured in; converting late causes confusion.

Buyer questions

  1. A common question

    The store-bought floor backrest and bolsters I love were discontinued. Can you copy them?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. The workshop makes the same backrests to your measurements and suggested the fabric closest to the original ivory. One such request was for two backrests of 15 × 38 × 14 in (38 × 97 × 36 cm).

  2. A common question

    How tall is the bench in your photos, and does it come with the cushion?

    The workshop's answer

    The bench in the photos stands roughly 12 to 16 in (30 to 40 cm) off the floor, but it's only a prop. The workshop sells cushions and pillows only, made to fit your own bench.

  3. A common question

    My piping fabric was used for the main body by mistake. Can that be fixed?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. When a cover came out with the body and piping fabrics swapped, the workshop remade it straight away in the right fabrics at no cost, cut to fit the foam already delivered.

On the cutting table

CushionBox-edge bench cushion, flush with the frame
FabricForest green wide-wale corduroy
HandSoft and ribbed, with a raised pile
PipingBeaded self piping in the same green
Wash86°F (30°C), gentle program
Color tipOrder a shade deeper than the swatch looks on screen
StylingPale oak, limewash, one wicker basket
Best forLiving-room and hallway benches in daily use

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Maggie’s workshop

I once cut a lovely cushion two inches short, and I have not forgotten it. That is why the workshop goes over your measurements with you on the phone. — Maggie

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
Forest green wide-wale corduroy
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Beaded self piping in the same green
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

Corduroy reads lighter wherever light catches the ribs, so order a green corduroy bench cushion a shade deeper than the one you fell for on screen.

Maggie, in the margin
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Questions buyers ask next

Does wide-wale corduroy wear well on a bench?

Wide wales have deep channels between the ribs, and those channels hide the small marks of daily sitting. Keep the cover removable so it can go through a gentle 86°F (30°C) wash when it needs one.

What is beaded piping?

Beaded, or corded, piping is a strip of fabric wrapped around a cord and sewn into the seam. Made from the same fabric as the cushion it is called self piping, and it gives a box edge a crisp, rope-like line.

Should a bench cushion stop flush with the frame?

On a bench with a handsome wood frame, yes. A cushion cut to the seat surface stops flush and leaves the oak edge on show, so measure the top you sit on rather than the outer frame.

Why does corduroy look paler in some photos?

Light catching the raised ribs makes cord look lighter than it does in shadow. Judge a swatch in daylight and from more than one angle, and when in doubt lean toward the deeper shade.

Stitch straight — Maggie

Corduroy bench cushions in six colors

Petrol teal corduroy bench cushion on a light oak slab bench against a charcoal wall with knit and silver pillowsSave
Teal cord bridges the dark wall and the pale oak, picking its color straight from the abstract canvas above.
Charcoal jumbo-cord window seat cushion on a white drawer bench with oak top, gray knit pillow and floating shelfSave
A near-black corduroy pad gives a crisp white built-in some weight, while one gray knit pillow keeps the corner quiet.
Taupe corduroy window seat cushion on white built-in drawers with boucle and charcoal pillows by a garden windowSave
A taupe cord cushion softens a built-in window seat, styled with a boucle ball and a charcoal pillow facing the hydrangeas.
Burnt orange wide-wale corduroy window seat cushion with self piping on a white ledge beside a vase of dried wheatSave
A close look at chunky corduroy wales and self piping on a rust window seat cushion.
Dusty rose wide-wale corduroy window seat cushion on a white drawer bench with cream sherpa pillows and pampas grassSave
A deep rose corduroy pad softens a white storage bench, with cream sherpa pillows and one velvet accent in the same pink.
Indigo blue jumbo corduroy cushion with mustard contrast piping on a freestanding oak bench over mustard carpetSave
Mustard piping matches the carpet underneath, so the indigo cushion looks tailored to the room.