SaveA Reading by RosaWindow Seat Cushions
A pink herringbone window seat cushion up close, and an 82-inch order that ended well
Rosa retells one buyer's long window seat from question to result, and uses a close-up of a pink stripe to show what to check before you pay.
Seen up close, each pink band has a woven herringbone texture, and the self piping follows the stripe around the edge.
The quick answer
If your window seat is bigger than the size option you pick, say so before production and agree any balance up front. One buyer's 82 x 28.75 x 3.5 in cushion was well past the option they had paid for; the workshop asked for less than the full difference, and the finished cushion looked great on the seat.
The question: 6 feet 10 inches of window and a size box that didn't fit
A buyer in the US ordered a window seat cushion measuring 6 ft 10 in by 2 ft 4.75 in, 3.5 in thick. That's 82 x 28.75 x 3.5 in (208 x 73 x 9 cm), and it was a good deal bigger than the size option they had paid for. By the time anyone noticed, the workshop had already started production.
Here's where it could have gone sour, and didn't. The workshop wrote to explain the gap and, since the work was underway, asked for a balance smaller than the full difference. The buyer agreed. When the cushion arrived they wrote back that it had turned out well and looked great.
Pull up a chair, because this is the lesson I'd stitch onto every order form: when your size is well beyond the option you click, say so, and settle any balance before production. Surprises are for birthdays.
What a close-up shows that a room photo can't
Now the photograph. It's a tight crop with the sun coming through the window behind and the garden gone to a soft blur. You get the cushion's corner, a pale oak drawer front and one black knob. That's all, and it's plenty.
Look at the pink. It isn't printed. Each pink band is woven in a tiny herringbone, so the stripe has a texture you can almost feel through the screen. A flat print can't fake that.
Look at the edge. The piping is cut from the same striped cloth, so it runs pink and white around the corner like a candy-cane cord. On a box edge, stripes are matched on one face, and when the fabric turns the corner a small shift on the other sides can't be avoided. So the matched face goes on top, where you sit and look.
Look at the fit. The cushion stops flush with the drawer front, so the drawers open without a fight. And that single black knob keeps all the soft pink and pale oak from drifting off into the sunshine.
My grandmother judged every cushion on her porch by its corners, and she was right more often than not. Order striped cotton and ticking samples and look at them in the window where your window seat cushion will live. How long is your window seat, neighbor?
Pinned by Rosa: the herringbone stripe box edge
Four pins walk the corner: the self piping, the herringbone weave, the oak drawer front and the one black knob holding it all down.
- self piping
Piping cut from the same stripe follows the pink bands round the edge like a striped cord.
- herringbone weave
Each pink band has a woven herringbone texture that plain prints cannot copy.
- black drawer knob
One small black knob grounds all the soft pink and pale oak.
- oak drawer front
The cushion stops flush with the drawer front so the drawers open freely.
- self pipingPiping cut from the same stripe follows the pink bands round the edge like a striped cord.
- herringbone weaveEach pink band has a woven herringbone texture that plain prints cannot copy.
- black drawer knobOne small black knob grounds all the soft pink and pale oak.
- oak drawer frontThe cushion stops flush with the drawer front so the drawers open freely.
The window seat choices that made it end well
- Measure the seat in feet and inches, then convert: 6 ft 10 in is 82 in (208 cm).
- Tell the workshop when your size is past the option you picked, before cutting starts.
- Agree any balance in writing before production.
- Ask whether a long seat should be one piece or two; a seam in the middle can be avoided on request.
- Look at stripe samples in the window where the cushion will sit.
Buyer questions: sun-resistant cloth, ottoman backs and one-piece lengths
- A common question
Could you make a very large bay window cushion in a fabric that stands up to sun?
The workshop's answerYes, sun-resistant fabrics are available. For a trapezoid about 160 in (406 cm) long and 2 ft (61 cm) deep, the workshop suggested making it in two pieces.
- A common question
Can you add a backrest to my ottoman so it becomes a seat and the sofa turns into an L-shaped sectional?
The workshop's answerYes. A backrest can be made for the ottoman, and it is ordered through a custom purchase link.
- A common question
Does a long bench cushion have to come in two pieces, or can it be one?
The workshop's answerFor very long cushions, around 104 in (264 cm), the workshop may suggest two pieces. If you don't want a seam in the middle, just say so: it has made a 104.5 x 18 in (265 x 46 cm) cushion in one piece.
On the cutting table: the striped corner
| Product | Window seat cushion |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Pink and white herringbone stripe cotton |
| Edge | Box edge |
| Piping | Self piping cut from the stripe |
| Stripe match | Matched on the top face |
| Fit | Flush with the drawer front |
| Base | Pale oak drawers with a black knob |
| Buyer's seat in the story | 82 x 28.75 x 3.5 in (208 x 73 x 9 cm) |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Rosa’s workshop
Tell the workshop who sits there: grandkids, the dog, a cup of coffee at six. The right fabric and foam follow from the people. — Rosa
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.
A striped box cushion can match its stripes on one face only, so the matched face goes on top, where people sit and look.
Rosa
Questions buyers ask next
Why do stripes shift a little on the sides of a box cushion?
Stripes can be matched on one face, but as the fabric wraps the corner onto the sides a small shift is unavoidable. Makers put the matched face on top, where it is seen and sat on, and let the sides carry the small difference.
How can I tell a woven herringbone stripe from a printed one online?
Ask for a close-up in raking light. A woven herringbone band shows a zigzag texture inside the color, and the pattern runs through the cloth. A print sits flat on the surface and looks the same from every angle.
What happens if my custom size is much bigger than the option I paid for?
Expect a balance payment for the extra size. In one case the workshop had already started production and asked for less than the full difference. It is simpler to flag the size and agree the balance before cutting begins.
Porch light's on — Rosa
More photographs to read
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
Save
