A Reading by HarlanBolster Pillows
A navy wide-wale corduroy bolster, read by the hand before the eye
Close enough to count the ribs. This one is about how corduroy feels under a palm, how it wears, and what it asks of you on wash day.
SaveThe quick answer
A wide-wale corduroy bolster pillow feels plush and ribbed, belongs indoors, and cleans through a zippered cover washed at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle, no bleach, air dried. Ask for self piping cut from the same corduroy, because a smooth contrast cord fights the ribs. A standard round bolster is about 8 in (20 cm) across.
Buyer questions
- A common question
Could I mail you my old cushion covers so you can copy the exact shape?
The workshop's answerThere's no need. Covers are made from measurements, and accurate measurements are enough. Two rectangular zippered covers, about 23 1/2 x 23 1/2 in (60 x 60 cm) and 23 1/2 x 13 in (60 x 33 cm), were quoted from the numbers alone.
- A common question
Does the cover come off, and can it go in the washing machine?
The workshop's answerYes. Every cover has a zipper, so it comes off the foam. Machine wash it at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle, skip the bleach, and air dry it instead of using the tumble dryer.
- A common question
Can I see the fabric in person before I order, and what does a sample involve?
The workshop's answerYes. A sample order carries a small shipping fee and ships within days. One sample order is enough, because the workshop sends swatches of all the colors. Your finished piece is cut from new fabric, which looks cleaner and more vibrant than the chart swatches.
Now, the reading
Close enough to count the corduroy ribs
Start with your palm, my friend, not your eyes. Wide-wale corduroy is a plush cloth with ribs you can feel in the dark, and on this navy bolster they run the full length of the roll. Long ribs make a short roll look longer. That is why a bolster pillow in wide-wale corduroy looks carved rather than stuffed.
Look at the end. The wales on the round end disc run straight across, lined up with the body, so the ribs do not jump where the two pieces meet. Somebody took their time there, and it shows from across the room.
Then the seam. The piping is cut from the same corduroy, so the ring around the end has a beaded, knotted look instead of a slick line. A seam is a promise, and a self piping cord keeps it quietly. A smooth contrast cord would argue with every rib. On the big pieces, the corduroy floor sofas and daybed covers, piping is left off by design; there the ribs draw the line themselves.
Now the light. Crisp daylight falls on a white daybed frame and an oatmeal woven seat and back cushion. Against those two pale things, deep navy goes darker and sharper, close to nautical. There are no other props in the frame, and none are missing. I would put this roll on a daybed in a study or a teenager's room, among the other bedroom cushions.
Four pins on one navy roll
Four pins: the ribbed end disc, the self-cut cord, the long wales and the pale seat that sharpens the navy.
- Ribbed end disc
The wales run straight across the end, lined up with the body.
- Corduroy piping
Self-cut cord piping gives the seam a beaded texture.
- Wide wale ribs
Long ribs make the bolster look longer and more sculptural.
- Oatmeal seat
A pale woven seat sharpens the deep navy.
- Ribbed end discThe wales run straight across the end, lined up with the body.
- Corduroy pipingSelf-cut cord piping gives the seam a beaded texture.
- Wide wale ribsLong ribs make the bolster look longer and more sculptural.
- Oatmeal seatA pale woven seat sharpens the deep navy.
What the hand learns after a few seasons
Corduroy has a nap, like velvet's quieter cousin. Stroke the ribs one way and the navy looks lighter; stroke them the other way and it looks richer. Cut every piece of a bolster in the same direction and the roll reads as one color from any chair in the room.
It is an indoor cloth. It has no water resistance and no UV resistance, so it lives inside, or at most under a roof and out of hard afternoon sun.
Cleaning is the easy part. The cover zips off the fill. Wash it at 86°F (30°C) on a gentle cycle, no bleach, and let it air dry; keep it out of the tumble dryer. More on wale and nap in corduroy cushions: wale and nap direction, and on proportions in bolster pillow sizes.
Does your bolster rest against an arm, or does it have to hold up somebody's back?
The pink cover and the Twin XL question
A buyer in the US had a pink corduroy teddy floor sofa that doubled as a guest bed. They wanted a spare long cover and asked a fair question: would a standard Twin XL mattress slide inside it?
On paper it was close. Each cushion measures 39 x 79 in (99 x 201 cm), nearly a Twin XL footprint. Then the buyer did the measuring most of us forget. Their cushion was about 6.5 in (16.5 cm) thick, and a Twin XL mattress starts around 8 in (20 cm). An inch and a half of foam does not squeeze into a zipper.
So they ordered one long pink corduroy cover for the sofa cushion itself. The old lesson held: footprint and thickness, both, before a standard mattress goes into a custom cover.
A wide-wale corduroy bolster wants self piping cut from the same cloth, because a smooth contrast cord fights every rib.
Harlan
On the cutting table: the navy corduroy bolster
| Piece | Round bolster, rolled edge |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Wide-wale corduroy, deep navy, indoor use |
| Rib direction | Along the roll; lined up straight across the end disc |
| Piping | Self piping cut from the same corduroy |
| Standard size | About 8 in (20 cm) across, 10 in (25 cm) possible; length to seat depth or about 4 in (10 cm) shorter |
| Fill | Arrives filled; no strap as standard |
| Cover | Zippered, removable |
| Care | 86°F (30°C) gentle cycle, no bleach, air dry |
| Best for | Daybed arm in a study or a teenager's room |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Harlan’s workshop
Old upholsterers will tell you the real cutting happens in the conversation, long before the shears come out. Tell the workshop what you sit on, and they will talk it through with you. — Harlan
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.
Questions buyers ask next
Why does one side of a corduroy bolster look lighter than the other?
Corduroy has a nap. Stroked one way along the ribs, the color looks lighter; the other way, richer. When every piece of a bolster is cut in the same direction, the whole roll reads as one even color.
What diameter and length suit a bolster at the arm of a daybed?
A standard round bolster is about 8 in (20 cm) across, with 10 in (25 cm) possible for a bigger seat. Its length usually matches the seat depth or runs about 4 in (10 cm) shorter, and any diameter or length can be ordered.
Is a strap included to keep a round bolster from rolling off?
Not as standard. Round bolsters arrive filled and without straps, and at the arm of a daybed they usually rest against the frame. If yours has nothing to lean on, ask about a strap before the bolster is made.
Can a corduroy bolster pillow live on a screened porch daybed?
Only with care. Corduroy is an indoor cloth with no water or UV resistance. Under a roof it is fine, but strong, prolonged sun can fade it, so keep it out of direct afternoon light or bring it inside.
Sit well. — Harlan
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