---
title: "The Studio: Free Cushion Builders & Calculators"
url: "https://cushionguide.com/studio/"
---

*Free cushion tools from the atelier: 3D bench, chair and pillow builders, plus bay window, trapezoid, fabric, foam and seat height calculators drawn to scale.*

The Studio

Eight free tools, each built around a question buyers ask again and again — angles that won't add up,
 depths nobody wrote down, cushions that turned out too tall. Three builders show a cushion before it is cut; five calculators do
 the arithmetic and draw it to scale.

Tools drawn up by [Nate](https://cushionguide.com/masters/nate/)

The Pattern Engineer of Detroit · January 27, 2026 · Updated July 9, 2026
- **8** tools
- **0** sign-ups
- **in & cm** everywhere

## The quick answer

The Studio is the atelier's free set of cushion tools: 3D builders for bench cushions, chair pads and pillow covers, and
calculators for bay windows, trapezoid shapes, fabric yardage, foam firmness and seat height. Each answers a question buyers ask
again and again, runs in the browser, works in inches or centimeters, and keeps your numbers in a link you can share.

## See it before it is cut

Turn the cushion in your hand: size, thickness, fabric, piping, ties.
- [3D builder3D bench cushion builderBenches, window seats and bays: shape, size, thickness, fabric and piping on a live 3D cushion, with a cut list in inches and cm.A common question: Can you show me the main fabric and the piping color together before I order?](https://cushionguide.com/studio/bench-cushion-builder/)
- [3D builder3D chair cushion builderSeat pads that tie on and stay put: square or tapered, with ties, piping and thickness, in 3D from every angle.A common question: Can you make a seat cushion that is wider at the front than the back, for my chair?](https://cushionguide.com/studio/chair-cushion-builder/)
- [3D builderPillow cover studioThrow, lumbar and bolster covers: size, fabric, piped or plain edge and closure, previewed in 3D before a stitch.A common question: Should I get piping on my pillows or not?](https://cushionguide.com/studio/pillow-cover-studio/)

## Work it out

Live drawings to scale, both units, printable, and a link that remembers your numbers.
- [Calculator · MaggieBay window calculator3-, 5- or 7-sided bays: walls and angles (or just the depth) in; a to-scale plan and every cushion piece out.A common question: Our bay window seat has weird angles. How do I give you the measurements?](https://cushionguide.com/studio/bay-window-calculator/)
- [Calculator · NateTrapezoid cushion calculatorAny three of front, back, depth, side or angle give the rest — plus a sketch check and a 1:1 printable template.A common question: What happens if the slanted sides on my sketch don't add up?](https://cushionguide.com/studio/trapezoid-cushion-calculator/)
- [Calculator · ÉlodieFabric yardage calculatorA list of cushions, a roll width, stripes and repeats, piping: every panel laid on the fabric, yards and meters to buy.A common question: Could I use my own fabric? If so, how much would be needed?](https://cushionguide.com/studio/fabric-yardage-calculator/)
- [Calculator · CallumFoam firmness finderFive questions — where, who, how you sit, how thick, how often — give a foam type, density, firmness and thickness.A common question: What foam do you use, how firm is it, and will adults sink through?](https://cushionguide.com/studio/foam-firmness-finder/)
- [Calculator · HanaSeat height calculatorBench, table and your own height in; the cushion thickness that keeps feet on the floor and knees under the table.A common question: Will the cushion be too tall? We have a table next to the bench.](https://cushionguide.com/studio/seat-height-calculator/)

## Which tool do I need?
- My seat has angles — a bay, a canted window, a wall that isn't square. [Bay window calculator](https://cushionguide.com/studio/bay-window-calculator/)
- One end is wider than the other, or my sketch doesn't add up. [Trapezoid cushion calculator](https://cushionguide.com/studio/trapezoid-cushion-calculator/)
- I'm sewing it myself or using a local upholsterer: how much fabric? [Fabric yardage calculator](https://cushionguide.com/studio/fabric-yardage-calculator/)
- Firm, soft, how dense, how thick — and will it survive the porch? [Foam firmness finder](https://cushionguide.com/studio/foam-firmness-finder/)
- Will the cushion be too tall for the table, the sill or my knees? [Seat height calculator](https://cushionguide.com/studio/seat-height-calculator/)
- I want to see the color, the piping and the thickness before I order. [3D bench cushion builder](https://cushionguide.com/studio/bench-cushion-builder/)

## The questions behind the tools

Measure twice; the fabric remembers. The tools only do the second measuring.

## Questions people ask

### Are the Studio tools free?

Yes. Every builder and calculator is free, needs no account and runs in your browser.

### Can I save or share my numbers?

Yes. Every calculator keeps your inputs in the page link. Press *Copy link to these numbers* and the link opens with exactly the same drawing — for yourself later, for a partner, or for the workshop making the cushion.

### Do the calculators work in inches?

Yes. Every tool opens in inches; switch to centimeters at the top of any calculator. Results always show both, with inches to the nearest eighth.

### How accurate are the drawings?

The geometry is exact; the drawings are to scale on graph paper, and the trapezoid template prints at full size. The answer is only as good as the tape measure, so measure on the seat itself and check the depth the tool gives against your own.

### Which tool should I start with?

Angled or odd-shaped seats: the bay window or trapezoid calculator. Plain rectangles: go straight to the 3D bench builder, then check thickness with the seat height calculator and the foam firmness finder.

Nate Kowalski

The Pattern Engineer of Detroit, Michigan

A mechanical engineer who spent ten years designing car seats for a Detroit supplier, then quit to join his uncle's upholstery shop in Hamtramck.

± 1/4 in — Nate