---
title: "Window Seat Cushion in Green Ticking Stripe: How Thick to Go"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/green-ticking-stripe-window-seat-fern-closeup/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Rosa Delgado, The Porch Keeper of Savannah"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/"
published: "2026-09-02"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "window seat cushion, striped bench cushion, custom window seat cushion, bench cushion indoor, custom size cushion"
---

# Green ticking on a window seat, and how thick the cushion should be

*Rosa answers the questions first this time: long runs, wedges and quarter inches. Then she reads a close-up of green ticking by a fern and weighs thickness against the seat.*

> **The quick answer:** Match window seat cushion thickness to the job: the workshop's standard window seat cushion is 4 in (10 cm), which suits most seats, while a piece that has to hold its shape standing up, like a headboard, needs 6 in (15 cm). Check seat height and depth first, so the cushion leaves room for your knees and a back pillow.

![Close-up of a cream window seat cushion with fine forest green ticking stripes and self piping beside a fern in terracotta](https://cushionguide.com/media/window-seat-cushions/green-ticking-stripe-window-seat-fern-closeup-1536.webp "Forest-green ticking picks up the fern on the ledge, and the self piping keeps the edge as crisp as the stripe.")

## Buyer questions first: long runs, wedges, quarter inches

**A common question:** Can a really long bench cushion be made in one piece?

**The workshop's answer:** The workshop often suggests two pieces for very long runs, such as 9 ft or about 113 in and 117 in (287 and 298 cm), because they are easier to make and ship. If the bench needs a single piece, it will make one.

**A common question:** For a deep lounge bench, should the back cushion be a wedge or a rectangle?

**The workshop's answer:** A wedge, for deep seats. The standard wedge is about 35½ in long and 15¾ in high (90 x 40 cm), 6 in (15 cm) thick at the bottom and 4 in (10 cm) at the top. A thicker version runs about 8⅝ in (22 cm) at the bottom and 6 in (15 cm) at the top.

**A common question:** Do my measurements need to be whole inches, or can I order 18.5 x 51.25?

**The workshop's answer:** Half and quarter inches are fine. Pick the closest size range in the dropdown for pricing, then type the exact measurements in the personalization box; that is what the cushion is made from. Centimeters are welcome too, and the workshop actually prefers them.

## Reading the close-up: a stripe that came from a fern

Pull up a chair, because this photograph is small and everything in it counts.

It is a close-up of a [window seat cushion](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/window-seat-cushions/) in cream with fine forest-green ticking, on a white-painted base under an oak ledge. A Boston fern in a terracotta pot stands on the ledge, and that fern is the reason for the stripe. A thin green line on cream brings the plant's color onto the seat without committing to a solid green, which is a lot of green to live with.

The piping is cut from the same [ticking](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/striped-cotton-and-ticking/), so the edge becomes a tiny striped cord. It looks more tailored than a plain welt and keeps each corner as crisp as the stripe. Terracotta and oak warm the green so it never turns cold, and the white base lets the cream ground read warm.

Now proportion, which a close-up cannot settle alone. A cushion too thin on a deep seat looks like a placemat. Too thick, and your knees ride up and the sill lands at your elbow. For most window seats, the standard 4 in (10 cm) sits between the two. Our [window seat thickness Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/window-seat-cushion-thickness/) and the [seat height calculator](https://cushionguide.com/studio/seat-height-calculator/) do the arithmetic. How high is your seat from the floor today?

## Pinned by Rosa: fern to floor

Five pins drop from the Boston fern down to the white base, showing how one plant set the color of the whole seat.

1. **Boston fern**: The fern's green is the color the stripe was chosen to repeat.
2. **terracotta pot**: Terracotta and oak keep a green-on-cream stripe from feeling cold.
3. **green ticking top**: A thin green stripe brings a plant's color onto the seat without a solid green.
4. **striped piping cord**: Self piping wraps the edge as a tiny striped cord, more tailored than a plain welt.
5. **white painted base**: The white base lets the cream ground of the ticking read warm.

## A headboard that had to stand up straight

A couple wrote to the workshop wanting a linen tufted floor cushion to hang as their headboard: 52¾ x 20 in (134 x 51 cm) and at least 6 in (15 cm) deep.

The shop explained that its cushions are densely filled, firm but comfortable, and usually about 4 in (10 cm) thick. For a headboard, it offered to make one at 6 in (15 cm).

That extra depth is not about softness. A cushion lying on a seat is held up by the seat. One hung on a wall has to hold its own shape, and the thicker build does that. The same thinking runs the other way on a window seat, neighbor: lying flat, 4 in is plenty for most.

## Checking thickness against your seat

1. **Measure the bare seat height**: Floor to the top of the seat board, with the old cushion off.
2. **Measure the depth**: Wall or back to the front edge. Deep seats want a back pillow or a wedge.
3. **Add the cushion**: Seat height plus thickness should land near a chair you already like sitting in.
4. **Check the window**: Every extra inch of cushion takes an inch off the view beside you.
5. **Write exact numbers**: Quarter inches are fine. Type them in the personalization box.

## On the cutting table: the fern window seat

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Product | Window seat cushion |
| Fabric | Cream cotton ticking with fine forest-green stripes |
| Edge | Box edge |
| Piping | Self piping in the same ticking |
| Standard thickness | 4 in (10 cm) |
| Upright pieces | 6 in (15 cm) to hold their shape |
| Deep seats | Add a wedge backrest |
| Sizes | Half and quarter inches accepted; centimeters welcome |
| Best for | Cottage-style living rooms and plant-filled windows |

> A window seat cushion lying flat does fine at 4 in. A cushion that has to stand against a wall, like a headboard, needs 6 in to hold its shape.
>
> — Rosa

> **Tailor's margin:** Send the odd quarter inch. A seat that measures 18.5 x 51.25 in should be ordered at 18.5 x 51.25 in.

## Questions buyers ask next

### How can I tell if a window seat cushion will be too thick for my seat height?

Add the cushion thickness to the bare seat height and compare the total with a chair you find comfortable. Also check how much of the window it will cover. The seat height calculator does the sum for you.

### Why does self piping on ticking look more tailored than a plain welt?

Cut from the same stripe, the piping becomes a tiny striped cord around the edge. It follows the pattern instead of interrupting it, so the corners stay as crisp as the stripe itself and the cushion reads as one piece.

### Where should a plant sit beside a striped window seat cushion?

At the end of the seat, near where the piping turns the corner. The eye travels from leaf to stripe, and a green stripe then reads as a deliberate echo of the plant rather than a coincidence.

### Can a tufted floor cushion work as a wall-hung headboard?

Yes, with a thicker build. The workshop's floor cushions are usually about 4 in (10 cm), but for a 52¾ x 20 in (134 x 51 cm) headboard it offered 6 in (15 cm) so the cushion holds its shape upright.

## Related at the atelier

- [Window Seat Cushion in Green Stripe: Morning vs Lamplight](https://cushionguide.com/readings/green-stripe-window-seat-rust-velvet-brass-pulls/): Judge a green stripe window seat cushion in daylight and again in lamplight, never on a screen alone.
- [Window Seat Cushion in Taupe Ticking Stripe: Feel and Care](https://cushionguide.com/readings/taupe-ticking-stripe-window-seat-knit-throw/): A cotton ticking window seat cushion feels crisp and dry, wears best indoors, and suits a spot for reading and sitting rather than boots or wet paws.
- [Cornflower Stripe Window Seat Cushion by Open French Doors](https://cushionguide.com/readings/cornflower-stripe-window-seat-cushion-french-doors/): A striped window seat cushion looks hand-finished when the stripes sit square to the front edge and line up where the top meets the boxing, the piping runs in one unbroken line, and the corners…
- [Window seat cushions for New England's old houses and long winters](https://cushionguide.com/places/new-england-cushions/): New England window seat cushions work best when they are cut to the real, out-of-square walls, split over radiators, and covered in a fabric that wipes clean where winter glass sweats.
- [How much does a custom window seat cushion cost?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/custom-window-seat-cushion-cost/): A custom window seat cushion is priced by its size: send the length, depth and thickness, and the workshop sends a quote that shows the shipping cost.
- [Colonial window seat cushions for deep sills and old benches](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/colonial-window-seat-cushions/): A colonial window seat cushion is usually a custom size, so order the nearest listed option and restate the true length in the order note.
- [Choosing cushion fabric: seven families compared for real homes](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-fabric-types-compared/)
- [How to order a custom cushion size that isn't in the size menu](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-size-cushion-not-on-menu/)

*Porch light's on — Rosa*

---

Written by Rosa Delgado (https://cushionguide.com/masters/rosa/) 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/green-ticking-stripe-window-seat-fern-closeup/