A Reading by MaggieDining Chair Cushions & Pads
A navy seat and back cushion on a cedar Adirondack chair, taken apart fastening by fastening
Maggie lays the navy set on her cutting table and goes through every way it can stay put: ties, grip, zipper and one very patient shipping date.
SaveThe quick answer
An Adirondack chair cushion needs ties, and ties are only added when you ask for them at ordering. Put two at the seat's rear corners to wrap the back slats, and one or two near the top of the back cushion. Keep the zipper on the back edge, facing the chair. Measure the seat's front and back widths separately; it usually tapers.
The cushion, cut open
Cover fabric. A removable, zippered cover. Machine wash at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle and air dry.
Piping. A fabric-covered cord sewn into the seams. It sits on the seam line, so it does not change the size.
Fiber wrap. Polyester fiber (Dacron) batting around the foam: it fills the cover out and softens the edges.
Foam core. About 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³) high-resilience foam, firm to medium-firm, cut to the ordered size.
Zipper. Along the back band, as hidden as possible. The zipper side faces down or toward the wall.
Base panel. The underside of the cover. A non-slip fabric backing can cover the whole of it instead.
The anatomy of a two-piece Adirondack set
Right, then. An Adirondack chair is a lovely thing to sit in and a terrible thing to keep a cushion on. The seat slopes steeply back, the back fans out in slats, and the whole chair is built to let rain run straight through. So every piece of this navy set has a job.
The seat is a firm box cushion that fills the dip. Firm matters: a soft seat folds into the slope and slides forward. The back cushion is tall enough to cover most of the fanned slats, which turns a pretty chair into one you can read in for an hour. Both pieces wear self piping in the same navy, so the outline stays clean against warm cedar and there is no contrasting welt to wander.
The wide arms sit clear of the cushions, and that is good tailoring. You can lift either piece out without wrestling it past the armrests. The white picket fence and clipped hedge do the styling for free: navy against white pickets reads coastal without a single anchor pillow, and the dense green hedge makes the navy look richer.
What the photo cannot show is what holds it all in place. Read the tie placement pattern for chairs and swings, look at outdoor acrylic for the fabric, browse chair cushions, and try a tapered seat in the chair cushion builder. Does your seat measure the same across the front as across the back, dear?
Pinned by Maggie
Follow the pins from the tall back cushion to the firm seat box, the self-piped edge, the wide armrest and the picket fence behind.
- Tall back cushion
Covers most of the fanned slats for real back support.
- Firm seat box
A firm box fills the steeply sloped seat.
- Self-piped edge
Matching navy piping keeps the outline clean on warm cedar.
- Wide armrest
Arms sit clear of the cushion so it stays easy to remove.
- Picket fence
White pickets and navy give a coastal feel without props.
- Tall back cushionCovers most of the fanned slats for real back support.
- Firm seat boxA firm box fills the steeply sloped seat.
- Self-piped edgeMatching navy piping keeps the outline clean on warm cedar.
- Wide armrestArms sit clear of the cushion so it stays easy to remove.
- Picket fenceWhite pickets and navy give a coastal feel without props.
Fastening the set, piece by piece
Ask for ties when you order
Ties are not standard. They are added only when requested, so write how many you want and where in the order note.
Seat ties at the rear corners
Two ties at the back corners of the seat wrap the rear slats or legs and stop the cushion creeping down the slope.
Back ties near the top
One or two ties at the top of the back cushion loop over a slat, so it does not fold forward every time you stand up.
Zipper on the back edge
Put the zipper along the seat's back edge and the lower edge of the back cushion, facing the chair, where it stays out of sight.
Grip underneath, if you need it
A non-slip base or hook-and-loop strips help on smooth chairs; on slatted cedar, well-placed ties usually do the real work.
The fastening that was a calendar date
Not every fastening is a tie. A student in the US ordered a 28 x 48 in (71 x 122 cm) floor seating set in a tobacco-colored soft fabric, then realized they would not reach campus until after the estimated delivery. A cushion set waiting outside a locked dorm belongs to whoever walks by first.
So they asked, and the shop held the finished order and shipped it to arrive just after move-in. Nothing clever, only a message sent in time.
I file that story next to ties and grip strips. If you won't be home for delivery, ask the maker to hold shipping. It is the one fastening you arrange with a calendar instead of a needle.
On the cutting table: the navy Adirondack set
| Pieces | Seat cushion and tall back cushion |
|---|---|
| Seat shape | Box cushion; Adirondack seats usually taper |
| Firmness | Firm, to fill the sloped seat |
| Piping | Self piping in navy |
| Fabric | Navy woven outdoor acrylic |
| Ties | Only when requested: seat rear corners, top of back |
| Zipper | Back edge, facing the chair |
| Measure | Seat front width and back width separately |
| Best for | Cedar Adirondack chairs on a lawn or porch |
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.
Buyer questions: return labels, horseshoe seats and missing ties
- A common question
Can you email me a return label, or take the return shipping out of my refund?
The workshop's answerNo return labels are possible, because the shop's carrier contracts cover outgoing shipments only. Return shipping can cost a great deal, so when a cushion was made correctly the shop may offer a partial refund if you keep it instead.
- A common question
My chair seat is rounded at the back and dips in the middle. Can you make a horseshoe-shaped cushion?
The workshop's answerYes, a curved edge can be made. For a horseshoe shape the shop needs a clear drawing with the width, the depth, where the curve starts and ends on each side and how deep the curve runs, plus a photo of the chair. The shape is confirmed with you before you order.
- A common question
Do custom chair cushions come with ties as standard?
The workshop's answerNo. Ties are added only when you request them at the time of ordering. One buyer assumed they were standard and received chair cushions without them; the shop offered to pay half of a local tailor's cost to sew them on.
Ties on a chair cushion are never automatic: they are added only when requested at ordering, so write the number and position in the order note.
Maggie
Questions buyers ask next
Where do the ties go on an Adirondack seat cushion?
At the two rear corners of the seat, where they can wrap the back slats or rear legs. That is where the slope pulls the cushion, so ties there stop it creeping forward. Leave them long enough to double-knot.
Does an Adirondack back cushion need its own ties?
Usually, yes. The fanned back is tall and slanted, so a loose back cushion folds forward whenever you stand. One or two ties near the top, looped over a slat, hold it upright and keep the piping line straight.
Why does a sloped Adirondack seat want a firm box cushion?
A firm box keeps its shape in the deep dip of the seat. Soft fill folds into the slope, bunches at the front edge and slides. A box edge also gives the self piping a straight line to follow.
Stitch straight — Maggie
