---
title: "Chair Cushion with Ties for an Adirondack: Navy Seat and Back"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/navy-seat-back-cushion-cedar-adirondack-chair/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Margaret Holloway, The Piping Queen of Newport"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/maggie/"
published: "2026-09-04"
updated: "2026-09-04"
keywords: "chair cushion with ties, chair cushion, outdoor cushions, patio cushion, waterproof outdoor cushions, custom size cushion, made to measure cushion"
---

# 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.*

> **The 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.

![Navy self-piped seat and back cushions on a cedar Adirondack chair on a lawn beside a hedge and white picket fence](https://cushionguide.com/media/dining-chair-cushions/navy-seat-back-cushion-cedar-adirondack-chair-1600.webp "A navy seat and back cushion set fits the sloped seat and tall fan back of a classic Adirondack chair.")

## 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](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-tie-placement-chairs-swings/), look at [outdoor acrylic](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/outdoor-acrylic/) for the fabric, browse [chair cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/dining-chair-cushions/), and try a tapered seat in the [chair cushion builder](https://cushionguide.com/studio/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.

1. **Tall back cushion**: Covers most of the fanned slats for real back support.
2. **Firm seat box**: A firm box fills the steeply sloped seat.
3. **Self-piped edge**: Matching navy piping keeps the outline clean on warm cedar.
4. **Wide armrest**: Arms sit clear of the cushion so it stays easy to remove.
5. **Picket fence**: White pickets and navy give a coastal feel without props.

## Fastening the set, piece by piece

1. **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.
2. **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.
3. **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.
4. **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.
5. **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 |

## 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 answer:** No 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 answer:** Yes, 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 answer:** No. 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

> **Tailor's margin:** An Adirondack seat tapers. Measure the front width and the back width separately, then ask for ties at the two rear corners.

## 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.

## Related at the atelier

- [Chair Cushion with Ties for a Folding Deck Chair, Seat and Back](https://cushionguide.com/readings/geometric-seat-back-cushions-whitewashed-deck-chair/): A folding deck chair takes a boxed seat pad cut to the frame width and a matching back cushion, so it still folds and feels like a lounge chair.
- [Chair Cushion with Ties in Sage for a Teak Lounge Chair](https://cushionguide.com/readings/sage-seat-back-cushions-teak-lounge-chair-terrace/): A chair cushion with ties reads well from ten feet when it keeps to one solid color and a clear shape, and well up close when the piping runs straight and the ties sit low.
- [Round Bar Stool Cushions in Coral for a Rooftop Bar at Dusk](https://cushionguide.com/readings/coral-round-bar-stool-cushions-rooftop-dusk/): For bar stools that seat a crowd, cut each cushion to the round seat, give it a piped box edge and repeat one color down the whole row.
- [Accent chair and sofa chair seat cushions, replaced to the old shape](https://cushionguide.com/guides/accent-chair-seat-cushions/): To replace an accent chair seat cushion, measure the width between the arms at the back and the front, the seat depth, and the old cushion's thickness, and send a photo of the chair.
- [Rocking chair cushions, traced from the seat itself](https://cushionguide.com/concepts/rocking-chair-cushions/): The recommended way to order a rocking chair cushion is to trace the seat onto paper, cut it out, write the widest width and the front-to-back depth on it, and photograph it flat from above beside a…
- [Can you make cushions or covers for a Barcelona-style chair, and what does it cost?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/lounge-chair-tufted-seat-back-cushion-covers-price/): Yes, Barcelona-style seat and back cushions can be made to order, but they are a pricier, unlisted model because of the chair's intricate design and detailed craftsmanship.
- [Waterproof outdoor cushions, honestly: fabric, seams, zippers and foam](https://cushionguide.com/guides/water-repellent-vs-waterproof-cushions/)
- [Adirondack chair cushions that follow the slope of the seat](https://cushionguide.com/guides/adirondack-chair-cushions/)

*Stitch straight — Maggie*

---

Written by Margaret Holloway (https://cushionguide.com/masters/maggie/) 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/navy-seat-back-cushion-cedar-adirondack-chair/