SaveA Reading by MaggieDining Chair Cushions & Pads
Ivory pinstripe dining chair pads with black piping, through a patio year
Six black chairs, six striped pads, one black welt doing all the work, from spring to first frost.
Swatch strip measured from the photograph
- umber#79725625%
- deep walnut#433b2924%
- camel#a49b8322%
- sand#c4b7a315%
- oatmeal#d6cebf14%
The quick answer
On black metal patio chairs, pipe dining chair cushions in black: the welt matches the frame and each pad looks built in. A fine ivory pinstripe reads almost solid from across the yard, so six seats stay calm. Shaped seats need three widths and three depths, and the pads come indoors for winter.
Seven colors on one patio, and their jobs
- Ivory ground#EEE9DCThe pad's body; echoes the hydrangeas
- Charcoal pinstripe#3F4145Fine enough to read as texture
- Black welt#151515Matched to the painted spindles
- Teak#9A6A3EThe table; the only warm wood
- Hydrangea white#F4F4EEMidsummer, along the house
- Succulent gray-green#8FA39ANeutral on the table
- Concrete#B7B3ACThe floor that takes the weather
Six chairs, one patio, four seasons
Right, then. Six black spindle-back chairs around a teak table on a concrete patio, white hydrangeas along the house. Soft overcast light shows a cushion exactly as it is.
The decisive stitch is the piping. It's black, matched to the painted spindles, so each pad looks built into its chair. I once piped a set of iron chairs in cream because it looked fresh on the swatch card. Six stickers. Match the welt to the frame.
The pinstripe is fine enough to read almost as a solid from across the yard. Each pad follows the seat's rounded front corners and stays medium-thick, so diners sit at table height. Rattan tray, succulents and lantern stay neutral for the same reason.
- Spring. Set the pads out and check their shape. A flattened front edge is fixed by taking off the cover and working the filling back into place.
- Summer. Hydrangeas repeat the ivory. Overcast days are kind to pale fabric; full sun is harder on any color.
- Fall. Before the weather turns, read the winter storage notes.
- Winter. The chairs stay out; the pads come in.
More shapes are under dining chair cushions, the cloth under outdoor acrylic. How many chairs sit around your patio table?
Five pins around the teak table
Five pins, from the black welt on the nearest pad to the hydrangeas along the house.
- Pinstripe chair pad
A fine stripe reads almost as solid from across the garden.
- Black piping
Matches the painted spindles so each pad looks built into its chair.
- Rounded front corners
The pad follows the chair seat's shape instead of a sharp rectangle.
- Tray and succulents
Neutral tableware keeps six striped seats from looking busy.
- Hydrangeas
Soft white blooms along the house echo the ivory ground.
- Pinstripe chair padA fine stripe reads almost as solid from across the garden.
- Black pipingMatches the painted spindles so each pad looks built into its chair.
- Rounded front cornersThe pad follows the chair seat's shape instead of a sharp rectangle.
- Tray and succulentsNeutral tableware keeps six striped seats from looking busy.
- HydrangeasSoft white blooms along the house echo the ivory ground.
Six numbers for a spindle-back seat
A buyer in the US had spindle-back dining chairs with a shaped seat, and width times depth was never going to describe it. So the workshop drew three horizontal and three vertical lines on the buyer's photo and asked for a number on each.
Back width at the spindles: 14.5 in (37 cm). Widest width: 17 in (43 cm). Front width: 14 in (36 cm). Depth left, center and right: 14.5, 15.5 and 13.5 in (37, 39 and 34 cm).
With six numbers, the shaped pad was cut accurately. Two numbers describe a rectangle, dear. A chair seat is rarely one.
A shaped dining chair pad needs at least three widths and three depths, not just width by depth, or the rounded front won't follow the seat.
Maggie
Pad by pad, the patio set
| Pads | Six shaped dining chair pads, box edge |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Ivory and charcoal pinstripe outdoor acrylic |
| Piping | Black, matched to the painted spindles |
| Shape | Follows the seat, rounded front corners |
| Thickness | Medium, so diners sit at table height |
| Measuring | Three widths and three depths for a shaped seat |
| Upkeep | A flattened front is reshaped by redistributing the filling |
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.
Chair pad questions, answered straight
- A common question
Can you make a trapezoid seat and a rectangular back cushion for a Danish-style chair?
The workshop's answerYes. Order the seat on the trapezoid listing, for example 23 in front, 22 in back, 24 in deep, 4 in thick, non-tufted, zipper at the back, and the back on the rectangle listing, for example 22 x 19 in, 3 in thick. Reversible cushions are made without a non-slip bottom.
- A common question
My five-year-old jumps on the chair, and now the front of the cushion is squashed and the seat slants forward. Can I fix it?
The workshop's answerYes. Take off the cover, pull the filling back into shape so it's evenly spread, and put the cover back on.
- A common question
Could the cushion body be a tough outdoor fabric with indoor velvet piping?
The workshop's answerIt can be made, but the workshop advises against mixing an outdoor and an indoor fabric on one cushion. If durability is the goal, it recommends an indoor fabric built for heavy use instead.
Questions buyers ask next
Why match chair pad piping to the chair frame?
Piping draws the pad's outline. In the frame's color, black on black spindles here, the outline joins the chair and the pad reads as part of it. A contrast color makes the pad a separate object.
Will a striped pattern look busy on six patio chairs?
Not if the stripe is fine. A narrow pinstripe reads almost as a solid from across a yard, so six striped seats stay calm. Keep tableware and planters neutral and the stripe stays a texture.
How thick should a patio dining chair pad be?
Medium, so diners still sit at table height. One Danish-style chair seat was made 4 in thick with a 3 in back cushion; a much thicker pad lifts people away from the table.
Stitch straight — Maggie
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