SaveA Reading by MaggieDining Chair Cushions & Pads
A terracotta tie-on chair pad on a rush seat, and where the money should go on a set of kitchen chair cushions
Maggie reads a tie-on pad with a sleeping kitten on it, then does the sums a practical New Englander does on any set of four: what earns its keep and what is only decoration.
A terracotta chair pad with fabric ties softens a rush-seat kitchen chair. The kitten proves it is the comfiest seat at the table.
The quick answer
On a set of chair cushions with ties, spend on foam that holds its shape, an exact fit for each seat and fabric samples; save on thickness and extra trims. A thin, self-piped pad with same-fabric ties, like this terracotta one on a rush seat, fixes a hard chair without paying for bulk the chair doesn't need.
The chair everybody fights over
Rush seats are lovely to look at and hard to sit on through a second cup of coffee. Somebody in this kitchen fixed that with a thin terracotta pad and a pair of fabric ties, and the kitten has since claimed it. Fair enough. The kitten has taste.
The pad. A shaped chair pad with a box edge, cut to the rush seat and no thicker than it needs to be. On a ladder-back chair you don't want a fat cushion pushing you away from the backrest.
The welt. Self piping along the front, where the pad overhangs the rush. A straight welt is a kind of honesty, and here it keeps that edge neat through years of sit-downs.
The ties. Cut from the same terracotta and bowed around the back posts. They hold the pad square and stop it sliding on woven rush, and because they match, they vanish into the chair instead of shouting.
The table. Honey oak, a linen runner, a bowl of olives, a glass of water and basil in a clay pot. Terracotta echoes the pot and flatters the oak, and nothing else on the table competes. As for the kitten: a tight, textured weave copes with small claws better than a loose one. Better. Not forever.
Which of your chairs gets fought over? Start the set there. More seats sit under dining chair cushions, and tougher weaves on the performance and pet-friendly shelf.
Pinned by Maggie: five things to notice before the kitten wakes
The pins run from the bow ties at the back posts to the piped front edge, with stops at the kitten and at the olives on the table.
- Bow ties
Fabric ties looped round the back posts stop the pad sliding on a rush seat.
- Back corner tie
A tie at each back corner holds the pad square to the chair.
- Sleeping kitten
A tight textured weave copes better with small claws.
- Piped front edge
Self piping keeps the edge neat where the pad overhangs the rush.
- Olives and runner
Olives, basil and a clay pot echo the pad color for a Mediterranean table.
- Bow tiesFabric ties looped round the back posts stop the pad sliding on a rush seat.
- Back corner tieA tie at each back corner holds the pad square to the chair.
- Sleeping kittenA tight textured weave copes better with small claws.
- Piped front edgeSelf piping keeps the edge neat where the pad overhangs the rush.
- Olives and runnerOlives, basil and a clay pot echo the pad color for a Mediterranean table.
Spend here, save here: the four-chair ledger
| Item | Spend or save | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Foam | Spend | Firm foam, about 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³), holds its shape instead of sinking into the rush |
| Exact fit, chair by chair | Spend | Hand-woven rush seats vary; one template rarely fits all four |
| Fabric samples | Spend | Cheaper than a remake when a green turns lime under kitchen light |
| Removable cover | Spend | A zipper sized for easy removal makes wash day simple |
| Thickness | Save | A thin pad fixes a rush seat; extra inches push you off the backrest |
| Contrast trims | Save | Self piping and same-fabric ties look finished without a second fabric |
Four trapezoid seats and a worry about zippers
A buyer wrote to the workshop about four kitchen chairs with trapezoid seats: 15 in (38 cm) across the back, 18¾ in (48 cm) across the front, 3 in (8 cm) thick. The worry was the zipper. On a shape that narrows, would it fight you every wash day?
The workshop explained two things. Its foam, about 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³), holds its shape. And because it sews the cover and inserts the foam itself, the zipper is sized so the cover comes off easily.
Then the color. The buyer had patterned cafe curtains to match and shortlisted nine codes: 123, 106, 117, 107, 924, L-05, L-13, K-13 and K-14. The workshop sent close-ups and warned that olive 123 looks yellow-lime under white light. It also said plainly that its linen is a polyester blend with no coating.
Check greens under your own kitchen light before you commit, dear. The chair cushion builder handles the shape, the dining chair pad measuring Pattern the numbers, and tapered dining chair pads shows real sets.
On the cutting table: the rush-seat pad
| Piece | Tie-on dining chair pad for a rush-seat ladder-back chair |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Textured performance weave in terracotta |
| Piping | Self piping on the front edge |
| Edge | Thin box edge |
| Fastening | Same-fabric ties at the back corners, bowed round the posts |
| Foam to ask for | About 2.0 lb/ft³ (32 kg/m³); holds its shape |
| Measure | Every chair on its own; hand-woven rush varies |
| Pets | A tight textured weave copes better with small claws |
| Best for | A farmhouse kitchen table used at every meal |
Have it made
Have this made — ask Maggie’s workshop
Numbers first, fabric second, piping last. Jot down what you have, and the workshop will go down the list with you, item by item. — 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: a wheelchair seat, a rocker and a medium-firm pad
- A common question
Can you make a 16 x 22 inch cushion to fit a wheelchair seat?
The workshop's answerYes. The workshop can make a 16 x 22 in (41 x 56 cm) seat cushion to those exact measurements.
- A common question
Would you make a custom seat pad for my rocking chair?
The workshop's answerThe workshop asked for the seat width, depth and thickness, a photo and a drawing of the shape, and reviewed them with its craftsmen. It declined that one: a pad that must fit a shaped chair exactly was too risky to make from measurements alone, without the chair in the workshop. Simple rectangular cushions for the same buyer were quoted as usual.
- A common question
Can you quote a medium-firm seat pad of about 24 x 23 inches, 2¾ inches thick?
The workshop's answerYes. A 24 x 22¾ x 2¾ in (61 x 58 x 7 cm) medium-firm pad was quoted straight from those three numbers and the firmness asked for.
On a set of four chair cushions with ties, spend on firm foam and an exact fit for every seat; save on thickness and contrast trims.
Maggie
Questions buyers ask next
Are tie-on chair pads worth it on rush or cane seats?
Yes. Woven rush is handsome but hard over a long meal, and a thin pad fixes that without hiding the chair. Ties at the back posts keep it square on the uneven weave, and matching ties disappear into the frame.
Should I pay for a thicker pad on a ladder-back chair?
Usually not. A ladder-back chair has a fixed backrest, and a thick pad lifts you away from it. A thin, firm pad softens the seat and keeps you where the chair was designed to hold you.
Why order fabric samples for kitchen chair cushions?
Kitchen light is often cool white, and it shifts greens and warm tones. One olive on the chart reads yellow-lime under white light. A sample held against your curtains or table costs far less than remaking four cushions.
Stitch straight — Maggie
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