A Reading by RosaPorch Swing & Swing Bed Cushions
A letter about a gray-striped porch swing cushion and the little bench beside it
A porch cushion lives outside the house but inside the whole year. This letter walks one striped swing from spring hanging to winter storage.
SaveThe quick answer
A porch swing cushion should fill the seat from arm to arm while sitting inside the chain fixings, so it never rubs. This one is a box cushion in a gray-taupe and white water-repellent stripe running front to back, matched by a smaller pad on a side bench. For back support on a swing, soft-filled pillows and bolsters beat firm foam.
Savannah ·
Dear neighbor,
Dear porch-sitter, about that swing
There is a swing in this photo I would happily sit on until September. Honey teak on steel chains, white clapboard behind, garden shrubs past the railing. On the seat, a thick box cushion in a gray-taupe and white awning stripe fills the swing from arm to arm.
Look to the right. A little teak side bench wears a smaller pad in the same stripe. Those two pieces were never sold as a set, and now they are one. That is the cheapest trick on any porch: repeat one fabric and strangers become family.
The stripes run front to back, so they line up with the slats of the swing's back. The light comes through leaves, soft and a little green, and gray-taupe sits easy beside weathered decking and white trim in every kind of weather. The fabric is a water-repellent outdoor cloth, which matters more than the color once the storms start.
A porch cushion lives outside the house but inside the whole year. The cushion stays the same; what the weather asks of it changes. So here is how I would keep this one through the seasons, and our winter storage notes pick up where I stop. More porch swing cushions wait in the Atlas. What does your porch ask of its cushions in August?
Pinned by Rosa: seat, side bench, chain, slats and deck
Five pins mark the swing seat, the side bench pad, a chain, the slatted back and the deck, and each one has a weather story.
- Swing seat cushion
A thick box fills the swing seat from arm to arm.
- Side bench pad
A smaller pad in the same stripe makes two separate pieces look like a set.
- Hanging chain
Chains attach at the arms, so the cushion is cut to sit inside them.
- Slatted swing back
Front-to-back stripes line up with the vertical slats of the back.
- Wooden deck
Gray-taupe and white suit honey teak and weathered decking.
- Swing seat cushionA thick box fills the swing seat from arm to arm.
- Side bench padA smaller pad in the same stripe makes two separate pieces look like a set.
- Hanging chainChains attach at the arms, so the cushion is cut to sit inside them.
- Slatted swing backFront-to-back stripes line up with the vertical slats of the back.
- Wooden deckGray-taupe and white suit honey teak and weathered decking.
The swing through four seasons
Spring: hang it, then fit it
Hang the swing first, then set the cushion between the arms. The chains attach at the arms, so the cushion is cut to sit inside them. If it rubs a chain, it is too wide.
Summer: storms blow sideways
A covered porch still catches rain in a summer storm. Water-repellent cloth lets it bead and roll off, but it is not waterproof. After a soaking, stand the cushion on its edge so it dries through.
Fall: leaves, pollen and dust
Brush the stripe off before you sit. Gray-taupe and white forgives dust and pollen far better than a solid white would on a porch this close to the shrubs.
Winter: bring them in
Before the cold months, bring the swing cushion and the bench pad indoors, make sure they are dry, and store them flat somewhere they cannot get damp.
The buyer who wanted something to lean on
A buyer who already loved their swing cushion wrote back to the workshop for more. Their swing hung indoors, and they wanted matching back support, but there was no separate bolster to order.
So the workshop offered a custom set: one back pillow, soft or in a cushion style, plus two bolsters, all in the same fabric as the seat and soft-filled for the back.
That last part matters. On a swing you lean back and the whole thing moves with you. A soft-filled bolster gives and settles; firm foam pushes back. For backs on swings, soft is kinder. The bolster pillows in the Atlas show the shapes, and our porch swing cushion sizes help with the seat underneath.
On the cutting table: the porch swing and its little bench
| Product | Porch swing cushion plus a matching side bench pad |
|---|---|
| Edge | Box edge on the swing seat |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Fabric | Water-repellent outdoor cloth in a gray-taupe and white awning stripe |
| Stripe direction | Front to back, in line with the slatted swing back |
| Fit | Arm to arm, cut to sit inside the chain fixings |
| Back support | Soft-filled pillow and bolsters rather than firm foam |
| Best for | Covered porches, hanging swings and porch benches |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Rosa’s workshop
Every good cushion I know started with a long porch chat. This is the short version: leave your number and the workshop will call. — 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.
Buyer questions: odd chair sizes, small cushions and a curved rocker
- A common question
My chair size isn't in the dropdown. How do I order custom cushions for a whole set of chairs or bar stools?
The workshop's answerChoose the size range by the cushion's widest and deepest measurements, then write the exact size, thickness and fabric code in the personalization box. For a trapezoid or unusual seat, upload a drawing with the measurements marked. For eight identical chairs, set the quantity to 8; if sizes differ, place separate orders. Square bar stool cushions are ordered the same way.
- A common question
Do you make small cushions too, for a chair seat or for meditation?
The workshop's answerYes, in plenty of small sizes: a 20 x 20 in cushion 5 in thick, a 22 x 14 in pad, a 17 3/8 x 16 1/2 in (44 x 42 cm) chair cushion, four 26 x 26 in cushions each in a different color, and tufted squares of 19 3/4 in (50 cm) and 31 1/2 in (80 cm), the larger one also with a backrest.
- A common question
How do I measure a curved wooden rocking chair seat?
The workshop's answerMake a paper template. Lay paper on the seat, trace the edge, cut it out, and write the widest width and the front-to-back depth on it. Lay it flat and photograph it from directly above with a tape measure in the shot; there is no need to mail it. The craftsmen may mark straight sections on the photo and ask for a couple of extra edge measurements, as they did for one shaped 3 in (8 cm) chair cushion.
A porch swing cushion should sit inside the chains, not against them. Measure between the arms and allow for the chain fixings, or the fabric rubs every time you swing.
Rosa
Questions buyers ask next
Should porch swing stripes line up with the slats?
Yes, when the back is slatted. Stripes running front to back continue the line of the vertical slats, so seat and back read as one piece. Crosswise stripes cut across that line and make a short swing look shorter still.
Is a water-repellent cushion fine on a covered porch?
On a covered porch, yes: water-repellent fabric lets splashes and blown rain bead up and run off. It is not the same as waterproof, so after a storm stand the cushion on its edge to dry, and bring it inside for winter.
How do I make a separate porch bench pad match the swing?
Order it in the same fabric, stripe direction and piping as the swing cushion. It can be thinner and smaller; the repeated stripe is what makes two separate pieces look like a planned set.
Should swing back pillows be firm or soft?
Soft. A swing moves when you lean back, and soft-filled pillows and bolsters settle against your back as it rocks. Keep the firmer support for the seat, where your weight actually rests.
Porch light's on — Rosa
More photographs to read
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