---
title: "Custom Bench Cushion in Sage Stripe for a Teak Garden Bench"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/sage-stripe-teak-bench-three-quarter-geraniums/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Callum Reid, The Weather Man of Casco Bay"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/callum/"
published: "2026-07-10"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "custom bench cushion, garden bench cushion, striped bench cushion, outdoor bench cushion, patio cushion"
---

# A sage striped custom bench cushion set, and the order note behind it

*Weather tests a cushion all season. The order note tests you first.*

> **The quick answer:** To order a custom outdoor bench cushion right the first time, measure seat depth from the backrest to the front edge, not the full frame, and give every size as length x depth x thickness. Name your fabric code, say which side the zipper goes on, and describe how stripes should run. Oversized pieces are quoted one by one.

![Sage and white striped seat and back cushions on a teak garden bench seen from above, red geraniums in front](https://cushionguide.com/media/bench-cushions/sage-stripe-teak-bench-three-quarter-geraniums-1600.webp "From above and to one side, the depth of the seat cushion and the piped back cushions are both easy to judge.")

## Read the seat from above

This shot is taken from above and to one side, and it is the best angle there is for judging depth. The seat cushion reaches from the back rail to the front edge of the teak seat. Not past it. Not short of it.

The two back cushions rest on the seat without being squashed. The seat is thick enough to sit on and still leaves the backs room to stand.

Now the stripes. Sage and white, running front to back on the seat, lined up with the stripes on the backs. The whole set reads as one piece. Get that wrong and it looks like three cushions that met at a yard sale.

Red geraniums in terracotta and a small pot of thyme bring warmth to a gray sandstone corner. The gravel border and timber fence keep the background cool. Flowers do the job a throw pillow does indoors, and they don't mind rain.

The fabric comes from the [water-repellent membrane family](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/water-repellent-membrane/). Water-repellent is a promise; waterproof is a contract. Know which one you're buying, friend. The difference is laid out in [water-repellent versus waterproof cushions](https://cushionguide.com/guides/water-repellent-vs-waterproof-cushions/). Which way do your stripes run? More shapes live under [bench cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bench-cushions/) and [patio and porch cushions](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/patio-and-porch-cushions/).

## Pinned by Callum: five points on the teak bench

Five pins, from the seat depth at the back rail to the red geraniums warming the paving.

1. **Seat cushion depth**: The seat reaches from the back rail to the front edge of the teak seat.
2. **Left back cushion**: The back cushions rest on the seat without being squashed.
3. **Right back cushion**: Stripes on the backs line up with the seat so the set reads as one piece.
4. **Red geraniums**: Bright geraniums in the foreground bring warmth to a gray paved corner.
5. **Sandstone paving**: Gray flags keep the background quiet and cool.

## The order note, line by line

1. Sizes as length x depth x thickness, in one unit, for every piece.
2. Seat depth from the backrest to the front edge, not across the whole frame.
3. Your fabric code, copied from the chart, not described in words.
4. Stripe direction: front to back on the seat, matched on the backs.
5. Zipper side, if you care which edge it sits on.
6. A photo of the bench from above and to one side, like this one.
7. Anything past the size menu: ask for a quote before you order.

## Three long runs and a quote before the order

A buyer got in touch with three long bench runs: one cushion of 104 3/8 x 19 1/4 in (265 x 49 cm) and two of 80 3/4 x 19 1/4 in (205 x 49 cm), all 4 in (10 cm) thick. They were torn between two fabric codes, T-04 and M-02, and wrote both down.

Pieces that long sit past the regular size menu, so the shop priced each one individually before anything was ordered. Then the exact sizes went into the personalization box, number for number.

That's the whole trick. Ask first on anything oversized. Put the agreed sizes in writing where the maker will read them. [What to send for a custom quote](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-cushion-quote-what-to-send/) has the full list.

## Buyer questions: zippers, odd corners and rounded ends

**A common question:** Can I pick which side of the cushion the zipper goes on?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. The shop asks which side you want and will put the zipper on a long side or wherever you specify, for example along a 47 7/8 in (121.5 cm) edge.

**A common question:** My corner bench isn't a true L; there's an angled section in the middle. How many cushions will it take?

**The workshop's answer:** From the buyer's photo and sketch, the shop proposed three: an 18 1/8 x 51 5/8 x 4 in (46 x 131 x 10 cm) rectangle, a trapezoid of about 27 1/8 x 28 in (69 x 71 cm) for the angled middle, and an 18 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 4 in (46 x 51 x 10 cm) rectangle. The quote included high-density foam inserts, and the covers zip off for washing.

**A common question:** My bench has rounded corners. How do I give you measurements for the curves?

**The workshop's answer:** Write each edge's full length as if the corners were square, then mark how far from each corner the curve begins, for example 7 1/8, 7 7/8 and 8 5/8 in (18, 20 and 22 cm), noting each curve separately if they differ. Or trace the corner on paper and photograph it next to a tape measure; the shop then sends a template to confirm.

## On the cutting table: the sage stripe set

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Product | Bench cushion set: one seat, two backs |
| Fabric | Sage and white stripe, water-repellent membrane family |
| Stripe | Front to back on the seat, lined up with the backs |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Edge | Box edge |
| Seat depth | Backrest to the front edge of the teak seat |
| Bench | Teak garden bench on sandstone paving |
| Order note | Sizes, fabric code, stripe direction, zipper side |
| Best for | Patios and garden corners |

> A striped bench cushion set reads as one piece when the seat stripes run front to back and line up with the stripes on the back cushions.
>
> — Callum

> **Tailor's margin:** Measure seat depth from the backrest to the front edge of the seat, not across the whole frame. Frames lie about depth.

## Questions buyers ask next

### How should stripes run on an outdoor bench cushion?

On this set they run front to back on the seat and line up with the stripes on the back cushions, so the three pieces read as one. Say the direction in your order note so nobody has to guess.

### Is a water-repellent cushion the same as a waterproof one?

No. Water-repellent fabric makes rain bead and run off for a while; waterproof means water cannot get through. Check which one a fabric is before leaving cushions out through a storm.

### How do I order bench cushions longer than the size menu?

Ask for a quote first. In one order, cushions of 104 3/8 in (265 cm) and 80 3/4 in (205 cm) were priced individually, and then the agreed sizes went into the personalization box exactly.

### What photo helps the workshop most with a bench cushion?

A view from above and to one side, like this one. It shows the seat depth, the back rail and how the back cushions sit, which a straight-on photo tends to hide.

## Related at the atelier

- [Custom Bench Cushion in Sage Stripe for a Narrow Teak Bench](https://cushionguide.com/readings/sage-stripe-teak-garden-bench-front-view-fence/): For a narrow garden bench, make the seat cushion exactly as wide as the space between the arms and stop the back cushions just below the top rail.
- [Custom Bench Cushion in Coral Stripe: Firm Seat, Softer Back](https://cushionguide.com/readings/coral-stripe-bench-cushion-honey-stone-wall-dahlias/): A garden bench cushion used every day should be a firm box about 3 in (7.5 cm) thick, with softer back pillows.
- [Custom Bench Cushion in Sage Awning Stripe, Up Close on Teak](https://cushionguide.com/readings/sage-awning-stripe-teak-bench-cushion-closeup/): A sage and white awning stripe works on a teak garden bench because the soft green sits between warm honey wood and bright red flowers without fighting either.
- [Do you give a discount when I order two or more cushions?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/discount-two-or-more-custom-cushions/): Usually, yes: multi-piece orders have been quoted as one set, below the sum of the listing prices, trapezoid pieces included.
- [My size isn't in the dropdown. How do I order an exact size like 18.5 x 51.25 in?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/order-custom-cushion-size-not-listed/): Pick the dropdown range that covers your cushion's widest and deepest measurements, then type the exact size in the Add your personalization (Notes) box, and the cushion is cut from that note.
- [My size falls between two options. Which one do I choose?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/size-between-two-options-which-to-choose/): Choose the next larger size option, the one just above your measurements, and write your exact size in the personalization or note-to-seller box.
- [How to measure a curved cushion with a chord, a rise and one formula](https://cushionguide.com/guides/curved-cushion-chord-rise-radius/)
- [Outdoor chair cushions: measuring patio chairs for seats and backs](https://cushionguide.com/guides/outdoor-chair-cushions/)

*Fair winds — Callum*

---

Written by Callum Reid (https://cushionguide.com/masters/callum/) 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/sage-stripe-teak-bench-three-quarter-geraniums/