---
title: "Bolster Pillow Fabrics: Six Cloths and How to Order Them Right"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/readings/six-bolster-pillows-velvet-corduroy-stripe-studio-stack/"
section: "Readings"
author: "Harlan Pruitt, The Elder of High Point"
author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/harlan/"
published: "2026-07-31"
updated: "2026-09-24"
keywords: "bolster pillow, custom throw pillows, custom size cushion, made to measure cushion, custom cushion covers"
---

# Six bolster pillows in velvet, corduroy, tweed and stripe, and the order message that gets them right

*One round pattern, six cloths, one pale gray sweep. A stack like this teaches more about ordering than any price list, because every fabric changes how the same shape looks.*

> **The quick answer:** To order a bolster pillow right the first time, give the workroom the length, the diameter and the exact fabric code, not a color name. Ask for larger photos of any code you are unsure of before you order. If you are buying covers for inserts you already own, measure the insert's height as well as its length and width.

![Pyramid of six round bolster pillows in plum velvet, slate blue, mustard, burgundy tweed, navy corduroy and green stripe](https://cushionguide.com/media/bolster-pillows/six-bolster-pillows-velvet-corduroy-stripe-studio-stack-1600.webp "One bolster pattern, six very different cloths: two velvets, a mustard weave, a burgundy tweed, a chunky corduroy and a green stripe, each piped in its own fabric.")

## Pinned by Harlan: five cloths, top of the pyramid to the front corner

Five pins run from the plum crown down to the green stripe, each one a lesson in how cloth changes the same round shape.

1. **Plum velvet crown**: The deepest velvet goes on top so its sheen is the first thing the eye catches.
2. **Slate blue velvet end**: A cool muted velvet sits between the plum and mustard so the two warm colors never touch.
3. **Burgundy tweed weave**: Flat-woven tweed reads slightly smaller than velvet of the same diameter because it has no pile.
4. **Navy corduroy ribs**: Wide-wale ribs wrap the end cap too, so the circle shows horizontal lines instead of a smooth face.
5. **Green deckchair stripe**: One pattern among solids breaks up the block and keeps the stack from looking like a swatch book.

## One pattern, six cloths: what the stack shows

Every bolster in this stack was cut from the same round pattern. Look how differently they sit.

The plum velvet crowns the pyramid, and it has earned the place. Deep velvet catches even flat studio light along its whole curve, so the eye lands there first and then travels down.

Slate blue velvet sits between the plum and the mustard weave, so the two warm colors never touch. That is the whole trick of a mixed stack: put a cool, quiet cloth between two loud ones.

Now set the burgundy tweed beside the velvets. Same diameter, yet the tweed reads a touch slimmer, because a flat weave has no pile to round out the silhouette. The navy wide-wale corduroy does something else again. Its ribs carry onto the end cap, so that circle shows lines instead of a smooth face. Our notes on [corduroy wale and nap direction](https://cushionguide.com/guides/corduroy-cushions-wale-nap-direction/) explain why the ribs matter.

The green-and-cream deckchair stripe is the only pattern among five solids. One pattern keeps the stack from reading like a sample card. Every end cap is [self piped](https://cushionguide.com/glossary/#self-piping), so no seventh color walks into a palette already carrying six.

For a daybed, take the lesson home plain: one velvet to anchor, one stripe to accent, self piping on both. The [bolster pillows](https://cushionguide.com/cushions/bolster-pillows/) in the Atlas show more lengths and diameters, and the [velvet](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/velvet/) shelf of the Swatch Library shows the pile up close.

What will your bolster lean against, a daybed arm, a window seat end or a sofa corner?

## The order message, line by line

1. Copy the fabric code for each bolster straight from the chart. Plum and mustard are descriptions; the code is what gets cut.
2. Give the length and the diameter of every bolster, measured on the daybed, window seat or sofa where it will lie.
3. Say what you want at the end caps: self piping, contrast piping with its own code, or none.
4. Say whether the workshop makes the filling or you want covers only. For covers only, add the insert's height to its length and width.
5. Name the codes you are torn between and ask for larger photos of each. Small chart swatches show color better than texture.

## Covers that fit, fillings that didn't

One buyer wrote in about a floor sofa she already owned. She wanted covers only, to go over the inserts she had. The seat covers went on and fit perfectly. The backrest covers seemed a couple of inches too big.

The workshop checked its own numbers first. The L-shaped backrest covers matched the listed size, 39 x 39 x 15 1/4 in (100 x 100 x 39 cm). The trouble was underneath: her fillings were the wrong height for those covers. The cloth was right, the seams were right, and the cushions still looked slack.

The shop offered matching fillings at cost, came down on that price twice, and also offered a return at the buyer's own expense. Nobody enjoys that kind of exchange, my friend, and one line in the first message would have spared it: the height of the inserts.

A seam is a promise, but it can only promise what it was told. When you order [covers for foam you already own](https://cushionguide.com/guides/cushion-covers-for-existing-foam/), measure all three dimensions of the insert, not two.

## Buyer questions: a smell, a fitted sheet and a zebra

**A common question:** My new foam has a strong smell. What should I do about it?

**The workshop's answer:** Wash the covers and let the foam air out for several days first. In one case where the smell stayed, the workshop checked replacement foams itself and sent two new seat foams and an ottoman foam at below its own cost. It noted that was the only smell complaint in about 3,000 sofa orders.

**A common question:** Could you make one fitted cover with elastic, like a fitted sheet, that goes over my sofa's seat and back together?

**The workshop's answer:** It can be made, but the craftsmen warned it may not sit snug, because the existing cushions aren't squared and have soft edges. The workshop tells you about a fit risk like that before you commit, not after.

**A common question:** Do you have animal prints, like zebra or cow, for chair cushion covers?

**The workshop's answer:** Yes. The patterned chart includes animal prints, among them a zebra-style design, P-02. Name the codes you are weighing and the workshop sends better photos of each before it quotes.

## On the cutting table: the six-bolster stack

|   |   |
|---|---|
| Product | Six round bolster pillows cut from one pattern |
| Velvets | Plum and slate blue |
| Weaves | Mustard textured weave and burgundy tweed |
| Corduroy | Navy wide-wale, ribs carried onto the end caps |
| Pattern | Green and cream deckchair stripe, the only print |
| Edge | Rolled body with flat round end caps |
| Piping | Self piping on every end cap |
| Order with | Length, diameter, fabric code, piping choice, filling or covers only |
| Best for | Daybeds, window seat ends and sofa corners |

> A bolster pillow order needs the length, the diameter, the insert height if you own the insert, and the fabric code copied off the chart, not a color name.
>
> — Harlan

> **Tailor's margin:** Velvet and flat tweed cut to the same diameter do not look the same size: the velvet pile rounds the roll, so it reads fuller on a daybed.

## Questions buyers ask next

### Why does a wide-wale corduroy bolster show stripes on its round ends?

On wide-wale corduroy the ribs continue onto the end cap, so each circle carries lines instead of a smooth face. If you want calm round ends, choose velvet or a flat weave; if you like the graphic look, corduroy gives it without extra work.

### Can every bolster in a mixed set be piped in its own fabric?

Yes, and that is how this stack was made: each end cap is self piped. It keeps every circle crisp without bringing another color into a set that already carries six fabrics, which matters more as the palette gets busier.

### Do small chart swatches show a fabric's texture well enough to choose from?

They show color better than texture. Pile, wale and weave are easier to judge in a larger picture, so name the codes you are comparing and ask for bigger photos of each before the order goes in.

## Related at the atelier

- [Wine Red Bolster Pillow on a Rattan Daybed: How It Will Age](https://cushionguide.com/readings/wine-red-bolster-herringbone-rattan-daybed-pothos/): A linen-look bolster on a sunny rattan daybed ages well when you plan for its daily life: turn it end over end so one side does not take all the window light, wash the zip-off cover at no more than…
- [Bolster Pillow in Powder Blue Velvet: Pile, Wear and Washing](https://cushionguide.com/readings/powder-blue-velvet-bolster-black-iron-scrolls/): Powder blue velvet on a bolster pillow is a short, tight, non-shiny polyester pile that looks lighter or darker as the pile leans and the light moves, and it spot-cleans easily.
- [Bolster Pillow on a Navy Velvet Sofa Arm: Measuring It Right](https://cushionguide.com/readings/oatmeal-bolster-navy-velvet-sofa-arm/): A bolster pillow is measured by two numbers only: its length and its diameter.
- [How do I order bolsters if there's no listing for them?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/how-to-order-custom-bolster-pillows/): Custom bolster pillows have no listing of their own: order your seat or window seat cushion first, then message the bolster sizes and the shop sends a custom payment link.
- [Can I get bolster pillows with piping or contrast piping?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/bolster-pillow-contrast-piping/): Yes, bolster pillows can have piping in the same fabric as the body or contrast piping in a second fabric, and a bolster can also be made entirely in a contrast or stripe fabric.
- [Can I order matching bolsters later for a cushion I already bought?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/add-matching-bolsters-to-existing-cushion/): Yes, a matching bolster for an existing cushion can be made later, because the workshop keeps fabric stock and can cut the same fabric and color as your original order, even a year on.
- [How to order a custom cushion size that isn't in the size menu](https://cushionguide.com/guides/custom-size-cushion-not-on-menu/)
- [Bolster pillow sizes: choosing diameter and length for a seat or daybed](https://cushionguide.com/guides/bolster-pillow-size-diameter/)

*Sit well. — Harlan*

---

Written by Harlan Pruitt (https://cushionguide.com/masters/harlan/) 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/six-bolster-pillows-velvet-corduroy-stripe-studio-stack/