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Indigo woven seat cushion with ivory piping and navy ties on a bentwood cross-back chair on a sisal rug by a rustic tableSave

A Reading by MaggieDining Chair Cushions & Pads

An indigo chair cushion with ties on a bentwood cross-back, and how to measure a seat like it

A curved front, an ivory welt and two navy bows you can barely see. Measuring this seat is easy once you stop trusting the tape measure alone.

Indigo with an ivory welt is a relaxed, denim-like pairing that suits weathered oak.

Read by

The Piping Queen of NewportPublished Updated 5 min read

The quick answer

To measure a bentwood cross-back chair for a chair cushion with ties, photograph the seat from directly above, note the width and depth, and trace the curved front on paper, since a tracing reproduces a curve most accurately. Mark the rear posts and the cross-back so the ties land where they can wrap. Measure the chair, never the old pad.

A curved seat in cool daylight

A bentwood cross-back is a bistro chair that has lived a little, and this one sits by a weathered oak table on a sisal rug, with rattan-seated chairs behind it. The chair cushion with ties on it is a heathered indigo weave from the linen-look charts, and it suits the room better than a glossy velvet would. Denim tones get along with oak, rattan and old paint alike, which is handy when no two chairs around a table match.

Now the part I care about most. Ivory piping runs along the rounded front of the seat and turns with it evenly. A straight welt is a kind of honesty; on a curve, the honesty is in the easing, and you only get a clean curve if the pad was cut from the real shape of the seat.

The ties are navy, not ivory, and that is deliberate. One wraps the rear post so the curved pad can't creep forward. A second bow sits where the X of the cross-back meets the seat, hidden from the front. Nobody sees the hardware; everyone sees a pad that stays put.

The props keep it relaxed: a pair of kicked-off leather loafers on the sisal, a white panel radiator, the edge of an oak dresser. Cool daylight, nothing staged too hard. How many different chairs sit around your table?

Pinned by Maggie

Five pins, from the tie on the rear post to the loafers on the rug.

Pinned: Indigo woven seat cushion with ivory piping and navy ties on a bentwood cross-back chair on a sisal rug by a rustic table
  1. Navy tie on rear post

    The tie wraps the back leg so the curved seat pad cannot slide.

  2. Tie through cross-back

    A second bow sits where the X meets the seat, hidden from the front.

  3. Curved piped front

    Ivory piping traces the rounded front of the bentwood seat.

  4. Leather loafers

    Kicked-off shoes keep the room relaxed and real.

  5. Rattan-seated chair

    Denim blue sits easily beside rattan, paint and oak.

  1. Navy tie on rear postThe tie wraps the back leg so the curved seat pad cannot slide.
  2. Tie through cross-backA second bow sits where the X meets the seat, hidden from the front.
  3. Curved piped frontIvory piping traces the rounded front of the bentwood seat.
  4. Leather loafersKicked-off shoes keep the room relaxed and real.
  5. Rattan-seated chairDenim blue sits easily beside rattan, paint and oak.

Measuring a bentwood seat in five moves

  1. Photograph from directly above

    Stand over the chair and get the whole seat in the frame, with a tape measure laid across it. A side view hides the curve.

  2. Write the width and the depth

    Width across the widest point, depth from front to back. Label both; depth is not thickness, and a pad has both.

  3. Trace the seat on paper

    Lay paper on the seat, press it into the edges and draw the outline. A tracing is the most accurate way to reproduce a curve; the paper template pattern shows how.

  4. Mark the tie points

    Mark both rear posts and the spot where the cross-back meets the seat, so the ties land where they can wrap. More on where ties go on chairs.

  5. Check the new seat height

    A pad lifts you toward the tabletop. Run your numbers through the seat height calculator before you pick a thickness.

A real project

Covers cut to the foam already in hand

A buyer in the US already had good foam for a hanging porch swing and wanted covers only, with extra-strong zippers: a seat of 55.25 x 27.75 x 4 in (140.3 x 70.5 x 10 cm) and a back pad of 50 x 13 x 4 in (127 x 33 x 10 cm), in cinnamon.

The first thing the workshop asked for was the foam sizes. Not the old covers, not a catalog size: the foam. The covers were quoted without inserts and cut to those numbers. A different seat, the same rule as the bentwood chair: measure the thing itself.

Sizes
Seat 55.25 x 27.75 x 4 in; back 50 x 13 x 4 in
Fabric
Cinnamon, with extra-strong zippers

The lesson: If you already have good foam, zippered covers made to its exact size are a cheaper refresh.

Buyer questions: copies, curves and second thoughts

  1. A common question

    Can I cancel my custom order if I don't need it right now?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, as long as production hasn't started: the order is cancelled and refunded to the original payment method. The workshop can also hold the order until you're ready, or change details without cancelling at all.

  2. A common question

    Can you copy the seat and back cushions I already have on my dining chairs?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes. Send photos with the dimensions, and the workshop replicates both the seat and the back cushion for each chair. Ask it to state the shipping cost in the quote.

  3. A common question

    Can you make a cushion for a vintage barrel-back rattan chair with a rounded back?

    The workshop's answer

    Yes, semicircular back included. Send the width and depth, for example 17 x 18 in (43 x 46 cm), plus a clear photo from directly above that shows the whole seat. A simple tracing or template of the seat is even better for getting the curve right.

For a curved chair seat, a paper tracing beats a tape measure. Send the width, the depth and a photo taken from directly above the seat.

Maggie
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On the cutting table

CushionShaped chair pad with a curved front, box edge
FabricHeathered indigo linen-look weave
PipingIvory contrast, following the curved front
TiesNavy, around the rear post and through the cross-back
What to sendTop-down photo, width and depth, and a paper tracing
ThicknessYour choice; check the new seat height at the table first
CareZippered cover, machine wash at 86°F (30°C) max on gentle, air dry
Best forMixed bentwood and rattan chairs around a rustic oak table

Order this cushion

Have it made

Have this made — ask Maggie’s workshop

Numbers first, fabric second, piping last. Jot down what you have, and the workshop will go down the list with you, item by item. — 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
Heathered indigo linen-look weave
Foam
The core: its density and thickness set the feel.
Piping
Ivory contrast, following the curved front
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

Where should the ties go on a cross-back chair?

Around the rear posts, which stop a curved pad from sliding forward, and through the cross-back where the X meets the seat, where the bow stays hidden from the front. Ties can be sewn into the seams at the corners or the back, in any position.

Can a chair pad have a curved front instead of square corners?

Yes. Curved and rounded seats are made from a dimensioned drawing, a photographed paper template or a top-down photo with measurements. The workshop checks the shape before cutting, and a tracing gives the most faithful curve.

Is a linen-look weave practical on dining chairs?

Yes. The standard linen-look charts are mostly durable, hard-wearing blends, and a heathered weave forgives crumbs better than a flat solid. The zippered cover comes off and washes at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle, then air-dries.

Should the piping color match the ties?

Not necessarily. Here the piping is ivory to outline the curved front, and the ties are navy so they disappear against the dark frame. Piping can match or contrast using any chart code, and it is included in the price either way.

Stitch straight — Maggie

The same linen-look family on benches and window seats

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Cream piping picks up the painted radiators and window frames, tying the cool blue into a bright room.
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The berry tone appears nowhere else in the room, which is exactly why it reads as the finishing touch.