A Reading by MaggieDining Chair Cushions & Pads
A rainbow herringbone chair cushion with ties that turns one Adirondack into a whole porch
Maggie writes to the owner of one weathered Adirondack chair and a thin strip of lawn between the lavender and the roses. Her advice: make the single seat generous, and tie it down properly.
SaveThe quick answer
An Adirondack chair cushion with ties should run as one long piece from the front of the seat to the top slat, with a matching roll pillow in the crease. Ties at the top and near the seat stop it creeping down the steep recline. Measure seat depth and back height separately and note the angle so the fold lands right.
Newport ·
Dear owner of one good chair,
A letter about one chair and a narrow strip of lawn
You have a weathered Adirondack, a border of lavender and roses, and not much lawn between them. Good. A narrow spot does not need more furniture. It needs one seat that looks as if it was always meant to be there.
Look at how this chair manages it. The cushion runs as one long piece from the front edge of the seat to the top slat, so the whole chair reads as upholstered rather than dressed. One continuous line looks bigger than two separate pads. That is the entire trick of small spaces, and I will charge you nothing for it.
The herringbone stripe helps. Tangerine, teal, navy and rose run lengthwise up the back, and a lengthwise stripe makes a squat chair look taller. It also hides grass clippings and pollen, which on a lawn is no small mercy.
Then the roll pillow. An Adirondack tips you back hard, and the crease where seat meets back is exactly where you feel the slats. A matching roll pillow, a lumbar pillow if you shop that way, fills the hollow and lets the chair sit like an armchair.
And the ties. One pair at the top slat, one pair near the seat. The top ties keep the back from sliding down; the lower ties stop the cushion creeping forward every time someone stands. I once spent an August re-tying a porch cushion that had only the top pair. Learn from my summer. The tie placement Pattern shows where each pair belongs.
Right, then. Measure the seat depth and the back height separately, write down that the back leans steeply, and let the workshop place the fold. You can sketch it first in the chair cushion builder. What does your chair measure from the front of the seat to the top slat?
Pinned by Maggie: five marks on one lawn chair
Start at the top rope tie, follow the cushion down to the roll pillow, then look at the border that repeats the stripe's colors.
- One-piece high-back cushion
One long cushion covers seat and back, following the Adirondack's steep recline.
- Matching roll pillow
A roll pillow in the same stripe fills the crease where seat meets back.
- Top rope tie
Ties at the top hold the back to the slats so it cannot slide down.
- Lower rope tie
A second tie near the seat stops the cushion creeping forward.
- Lavender and rose border
Lavender and roses repeat the violet and rose threads in the stripe.
- One-piece high-back cushionOne long cushion covers seat and back, following the Adirondack's steep recline.
- Matching roll pillowA roll pillow in the same stripe fills the crease where seat meets back.
- Top rope tieTies at the top hold the back to the slats so it cannot slide down.
- Lower rope tieA second tie near the seat stops the cushion creeping forward.
- Lavender and rose borderLavender and roses repeat the violet and rose threads in the stripe.
Eleven chairs, one terrace, and piping on both edges
A buyer wrote to the workshop with the opposite problem: not one chair but eleven, all around a terrace. The order was eleven seat pads at 15¾ x 18 in (40 x 46 cm), somewhere between 1¼ and 2 in (3 to 5 cm) thick, plain white, with lavender piping on both edges and lavender ties, needed by mid-July.
The workshop quoted the 2 in (5 cm) version, took something off for the bulk order, and then asked the two questions every set of chair cushions needs answered. Which side should the zipper sit on? What are the exact color codes for the white and the lavender? Lavender on a screen can be three different colors on a spool.
The buyer also asked for large matching tablecloths. The workshop said no: its fabric comes at most 55 in (140 cm) wide, too narrow for a big table without seams. An honest no beats a seamed tablecloth.
My lesson from it: when you order a set, name the double piping, the tie color and the zipper side by code, in writing. Eleven pads multiply every small vagueness by eleven.
On the cutting table: the lawn chair set
| Piece | One-piece seat-and-back chair cushion with a matching roll pillow |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Outdoor acrylic in a tangerine, teal, navy, rose and cream herringbone stripe |
| Edge | Knife edge, so the cushion folds cleanly at the crease |
| Piping | Self piping in the same stripe |
| Ties | Rope ties at the top slat and near the seat |
| Stripe direction | Lengthwise, from seat front to top slat |
| Measure | Seat depth and back height separately, plus a note on the recline |
| Best for | Adirondack and other steep-back lawn chairs |
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: stools, ottomans and soft pads
- A common question
Do you make seat cushions for bar stools and chairs, or throw pillows, in custom sizes?
The workshop's answerYes, all three are made to order. Send the sizes and the workshop quotes them; one buyer's pair of chair cushions at about 19¼ x 18½ in (49 x 47 cm) was made to that size.
- A common question
Can you make a new cover for my ottoman cushion? It is about 25½ x 25½ in and 12¼ in tall (65 x 65 x 31 cm).
The workshop's answerYes. A cover that tall falls outside the standard sizes, which go up to 6 in (15 cm) high, so it is made as a custom order and quoted on its own. The same footprint at 6 in (15 cm) or less would be a standard size.
- A common question
Could you make soft, draped seat pads like the ones in a photo I found?
The workshop's answerNot in that style. Draped pads use a different, looser filling, and the workshop builds only with firm, long-life foam at about 2 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³), which will not drape. It said so before production rather than promise a look it could not deliver.
An Adirondack chair cushion needs ties in two places: at the top slat so the back cannot slide, and near the seat so the cushion cannot creep forward.
Maggie
Questions buyers ask next
Should an Adirondack chair cushion be one piece or a separate seat and back?
One piece suits an Adirondack best. The steep recline leaves a deep crease, and a single cushion running from seat front to top slat folds there without a gap. Give seat depth and back height separately so the fold lands in the crease, not above it.
Why add a roll pillow to an Adirondack chair cushion?
The crease where the slanted seat meets the back is where the slats press hardest. A roll pillow in the same fabric fills that hollow, supports the lower back and lets the chair sit more like an armchair without a thicker cushion.
Does a lengthwise stripe change how a small lawn chair looks?
Yes. A stripe running from the seat front up to the top slat draws the eye along the chair, so it reads taller and more finished. A busy multicolor stripe also hides grass clippings, pollen and small marks between washes.
How many ties does a high-back Adirondack cushion need?
Four is the usual answer for a steep chair: a pair at the top slat and a pair near the seat. The top ties hold the back up, and the lower ties stop the cushion sliding forward whenever someone stands up.
Stitch straight — Maggie
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