A Reading by CallumOutdoor & Water-Repellent Cushions
Slate blue outdoor cushions on a teak sofa, cut for a long afternoon
Bright shade, a white pergola and a sofa meant for staying put. Here's how the cushions are cut for an afternoon that runs long.
SaveThe quick answer
For long sitting on an outdoor sofa, make the seat one long cushion so nobody sits on a seam, and split the back into one cushion per seat so it can be carried in before rain. Add a lumbar pillow for the lower back. Slate blue hides pollen and dust, and cushions that sit too high can be reordered 2 in thick instead of 4 in.
The seat cushion, cut open
Outdoor cover. Water-repellent outdoor fabric, zipped and removable. Covers can also be ordered alone, for foam you already own.
Piping. A fabric-covered cord sewn into the seams. It sits on the seam line, so it does not change the size.
Fiber wrap. Polyester fiber (Dacron) batting around the foam: it fills the cover out and softens the edges.
Foam core. About 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³) high-resilience foam, firm to medium-firm, cut to the ordered size.
Zipper. Along the back band, as hidden as possible. The zipper side faces down or toward the wall.
Base panel. The underside of the cover. A non-slip fabric backing can cover the whole of it instead.
Built for the long afternoon
Midday. Bright shade under a white pergola. A teak sofa in slate blue, a glass of iced water on the side table. This is a seat for staying put: a book, a laptop, a lunch that runs to four o'clock.
Read the layout first. The seat is one long outdoor bench cushion, so nobody spends the afternoon on a seam. The back is split in two, one per seat. Those are the pieces you move: tilt them, stack them, carry them in when rain is forecast. Rain doesn't negotiate, friend. A back cushion you can lift with one hand gets carried in. One you can't, stays out.
The color works too. Slate blue is dark enough to hide pollen and dusty feet, and cool enough to sit quietly between the clipped hedge and the pale travertine. Honey teak warms it.
Then the pillows, which is where long sitting lives. An ivory lumbar sits in front of a square on the left; the small rectangle adds depth and supports the lower back. One ivory square on the right balances the pair without looking like a matched set, and a white vase of garden daisies repeats them. How long do you sit out there on a good day? More sets live under outdoor cushions, and the cloth is explained in water-repellent fabrics.
Pinned by Callum: seat, backs, pillows
Five things I'd check before an afternoon out here.
- One-piece slate seat
A single long seat cushion avoids a seam down the middle, so nobody sits on a gap.
- Split back cushions
Two separate backs, one per seat, are easy to lift indoors when rain is forecast.
- Ivory lumbar pillow
A small rectangle in front of a square adds depth and supports the lower back.
- Single ivory pillow
One pillow on the right balances the pair on the left without looking like a matched set.
- Vase of garden daisies
A white vase on the side table repeats the pillows and adds a loose garden note.
- One-piece slate seatA single long seat cushion avoids a seam down the middle, so nobody sits on a gap.
- Split back cushionsTwo separate backs, one per seat, are easy to lift indoors when rain is forecast.
- Ivory lumbar pillowA small rectangle in front of a square adds depth and supports the lower back.
- Single ivory pillowOne pillow on the right balances the pair on the left without looking like a matched set.
- Vase of garden daisiesA white vase on the side table repeats the pillows and adds a loose garden note.
Five chairs, one list
A buyer in the US wanted a whole patio conversation set redone at once. Five seats at 22 x 21.5 x 4 in. Five backs at 21.5 x 15.5 x 4 in. An ottoman cushion at 22 x 21.5 x 4 in with rounded corners. Two pillows at 16 x 16 in. The fabric in mind was a branded forest green stripe.
The workshop offered its own dark green and white outdoor stripes instead, priced the lot as one bundle, then trimmed the figure. What made the quote accurate was the list: every piece, every size, and the rounded corners called out up front.
- Sizes
- Seats 22 x 21.5 x 4 in (56 x 55 x 10 cm); backs 21.5 x 15.5 x 4 in; ottoman 22 x 21.5 x 4 in, rounded; pillows 16 x 16 in
The lesson: Include every piece and any rounded corners in one list for an accurate bundle quote.
The list that gets a patio set quoted right
- Every seat: width x depth x thickness, inches first
- Every back: width x height x thickness
- Rounded corners: which ones, plus a photo
- Pillows and lumbars, with their sizes
- Filled cushions, or covers only for foam you own
Covers, height and weather,
- A common question
Can you make replacement covers for my outdoor cushions, plus matching back pillows?
The workshop's answerYes. Outdoor covers can be ordered without inserts: one buyer ordered two navy seat covers at 32 x 32 x 6 in for foam they already had, plus two filled back pillows at 12 x 32 x 6 in. Water-resistant outdoor fabrics are available.
- A common question
My outdoor cushions came out too high. Can I reorder them thinner?
The workshop's answerYes. Place the same order again and choose the thinner option on the product page, for example 2 in instead of 4 in. One repeat order shipped within a couple of days.
- A common question
Do you make outdoor cushions that can handle the weather?
The workshop's answerYes, from a separate outdoor fabric chart. For a patio project you can order one cushion first to test the fit; one test cushion took about 5 days to make and 3 to 4 days to deliver.
If new outdoor cushions sit too high, reorder the same set at 2 in thick instead of 4 in; the thickness is chosen on the product page.
Callum
On the cutting table
| Cushions | Outdoor sofa: one long seat, two backs |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Water-repellent outdoor fabric, slate blue |
| Piping | Self piping |
| Edge | Box edge |
| Thickness | 4 in; 2 in if the seat sits high |
| Pillows | One ivory lumbar, two ivory squares |
| Weather | Carry the backs in when rain is forecast |
| Best for | Pergolas, covered patios |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Callum’s workshop
Short list: size, sun hours, how fast it has to dry. The workshop goes through it with you. — Callum
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 one long seat cushion instead of two on an outdoor sofa?
A single long seat avoids a seam down the middle, so nobody sits on a gap. The backs are split instead, because those are the pieces you lift, tilt and carry in when the weather turns.
What outdoor cushion color hides pollen and dust?
A mid-dark cool solid such as slate blue hides pollen and dusty feet far better than ivory, and it sits calmly between green planting and pale stone. Keep the ivory for pillows, which are easy to carry in.
Is a lumbar pillow worth adding to an outdoor sofa?
For long sitting, yes. A small rectangular lumbar in front of a square pillow adds depth and supports the lower back, which you notice once an hour on the patio turns into three.
Fair winds — Callum
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