Wow, I've made several box cushions, but I had no idea there were rules.

I am the exact opposite of you instead of wanting rules, I avoid them like the plague (and my projects usually reflect this in their amateur results).

I just measure the box and leave about 1/2 inch more. Now that you mention it mine aren't usually tight tight - not loose either tho- so if you want' tight, I'd probably do as you said above, and do them the same size without leaving extra for the seam allowance.

I'm actually in the process of making new cushions for my MIL's wicker furniture and should have attached the box strip today, but felt lazy and didn't get to it. Also ran out of cording for the welt and didn't feel like braving the cold to go out and buy more. Oh, by the way if you are adding cording, I've found it much cheaper to go to HD and buy nylon braided (not twisted) rope in the smallest diameter rather than buying cording from the fabric store. You also don't have to worry about it shrinking likethe cotton cording they sell at the fabric store. HTH

Wow you are psychic about the cording; without Fabric Place in business anymore, I'm sort of at a loss for where to go for some. I don't like going to Joann's because they sell too much candy at the register and quit letting customers use their restrooms--I mean, honestly, people who sew and craft often shop with kids in tow, and...

so, at least HD has public restrooms lol! I'll forgive register candy for that.

So you use cushion dimension + 1/2" -seam allowance= -3/4" ease. OK that's a good data point. Thank you!!!

Glad I was of some help.

No bathrooms for kids! Man, I think we use the bathroom every single time we're at the fabric store.

ps Welcome to the forum

OT - sorry !! I hate Joann's for that same reason. I am an avid seamstress and have spent many hours in fabric stores with small children. What is up with no public restrooms? Our Joann's has never allowed it.

And yes... Welcome !!

Hee hee I should print this and mail to Joann's. Thanks for the warm welcome! Acountry, you SEW too? I _would_ have time to sew if I didn't spend so much time drooling over your tile ideas in the bathrooms forum. Now that's a forum Joann's should spend a little time surfing...

Our Joannes has public restrooms.I didn't realize that Joannes didnt have them! I do remember when my son was little he would start to cry as soon as we got in the door " Oh no, fabric, no Mommy!"
I made box cushion this summer.The first one I didn't add the extra 1/2 inch and it was so tight it was awful so I did it again! The second time I added a half inch to all sides and they turned out great.

Now I'm really confused. You made them bigger by 1/2"? Plus seam allowances? and they didn't look droopy and saggy and loose? hmmmm. I believe you but see, I made a chair cover a couple of years ago to exact dimensions, and it looks baggy. Maybe your cushions are different from mine. I'm using high density foam and dacron wrap.

I think I'm going to have to break down and do a test cover with an old sheet! Somebody please save me from myself...

sorry I wasnt clear, it was late. No, I measured the foam cushion added 1/2 inch to each measurement. Did same for gusset. That was the 1/2 seam allowance. So the seams were right at the edge of the foam. no dacron wrap.
the first time I just measured and sewed and it was too small. way small.
Hope this reaches you in time.

I made cushion covers a few years ago, and I cut the fabric 1/2" larger than the measurements of the foam, then sewed the seams along that 1/2". I cut a strip for around the edge, using the same 1/2" seam allowance. I didn't make the covers smaller than the foam, because I didn't know I was supposed to!

However, I used outdoor fabric that is water-repellent and somewhat rough/tacky on the back. I had a hard time getting the foam into the covers as it was; if I'd made the covers smaller, they would not have fit.

No not too late. I move slower than...well some say glass is actually a liquid, so something like that.

uxorial, I have heard about the trouble getting the foam in. so far I have come across people saying that dacron wrap over the foam helps (you spray it on with toxic adhesive, oh boy), or lining your covers with fleece. I'm going to try the dacron wrap; will let you know how it goes. If I'm not flying to high to reach my keyboard.

Can I ask, given that you made the covers to the exact dimensions of your cushions, how did it look? Was the fabric taut across the cushion, like you'd see on most new sofas? Or was is more of a relaxed look like a slipcover?

Ask on the sewing forum, too. I had a question about fitting a particular kind of corner and got an answer there ASAP.

Do you have Loomcraft there? I bought cording there before, more size choices. Hobby Lobby also has upholstery supplies.

I'm no longer shopping with little kids, but all I have to do is step into JoAnn before I feel like I have to go. Something about knowing I can't.

Well, they don't bunch up like a slipcover, but they aren't as tight as a new sofa. Somewhere in between.

I wish I had known about wrapping them in plastic! :(

I made them for outdoors, to put on "benches" made from boulders, so the more *rustic* the better. They are far from sewing masterpieces. More like something to cushion our arses from the cold, hard, damp boulders.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Some JoAnn stores have public restrooms, some don't. They have a single bathroom for their employees and it's back in the "employee only" area. They can't let the public wander through the office and storage and employee personal items to get to and from the bathroom.

The box cushions I made- one for a wicker loveseat in my DDs room and one for a chair outside were made with two different fabrics- and both fit like the ones Uxorial shows- nice and tight.
What great looking seating around the fire Uxorial. I would love that in my yard!

annie1971 - OT again... sorry :) Many businesses all across the country allow customers to use the employee bathrooms. Having been pregnant a good many years I have had the opportunity of seeing a great many employee areas w/ bathrooms.

Also, being a business owner in our state, it is code that retail businesses have a bathroom for employees and customers.

JoAnn's has a very poor reputation where I live for their unfriendly bathroom policy and their generally filthy store and grumpy employees. Sorry to be so blunt, but that is the truth where I live.

It is just poor customer relations IMO.

Uxorial, those look great!!! And what a lovely gathering place! Now I'm not so worried.

Based on what everyone has said, it sounds like you can make the cushions to fit, or a tiny bit tight (up to -1" per dimension, or -1/2" per seam, depending on how you look at it), and that's about it.

I've bought pillow covers that were -2" ease, and was worried I needed to do something extreme like that. But pillows are another universe, so I'll stick to -1" or less for box cushions.

Thanks everyone!

Oh and there's a sewing forum? I looked and didn't see one. Wait, (frantic clicking in another window) wow I've never scrolled down on the home forum page before. Would ya look at all those other forums! Oh no, I'll never see daylight again...

Would appreciate info on attaching band/gusset onto the main piece (seat bottom) when making a boxed cushion. Want cushion to be square. How do I do the corners?DO I have four pieces of the band or one long piece and how do i sew the corners onto the seat bottom piece. Would appreciate any information.

I realize I'm several years late to this posting, but I think I have a VERY GOOD formula for boxed cushions. Please bear in mind though, I've only used this formula with indoor/outdoor fabric like Sunbrella and Crypton that has little to no give. Okay, so If I had a 24" x 24" piece of foam 3" thick, I would cut my top and bottom plates 24" x 24" (exact width and length of foam). Where I would allow for zipper plaques and seam allowances is in the BOXING (the strip that goes around the cushion). Since my foam is 3" thick, I would cut my boxing strips 4" wide; that gives you a 1/2" seam allowance for the entire cushion. Also, if you find with your fabric that it's still too loose, or too tight, (even though it's a pain) it's much easier just to take off the boxing and either cut it down or a cut a larger strip. Always doing your adjustments in the boxing REALLY saves fabric (and most of the outdoor stuff is "through the roof" expensive as it is). Adding an inch to the boxing always makes the top of my cushions look taught, flat, and plump.

Kellie, thank you for your response. Useful information is timeless and never too late. I've been searching on Google, finally arrived here. Was going to leave after reading all these comments about Joann's. I just need to know how to snug fit these cushions, haha! Got to the end and your explanation was clear and perfectly descriptive. Thank you so much!

I make cushions with covers in my business. First of all, all my foam cushions are wrapped with 3/4” bonded dacron batting on top, bottom and all sides. I won’t sell a cushion without this batting, because the batting acts as protection for the foam, to keep it from rubbing and eventually disintegrating, which helps to preserve the life and longevity of the foam. It adds an additional element of softness, and helps to assure a snug fitting cover.

For a boxed cover, if the foam is 24” x 24” x 4” with wrapped dacron batting, for example, I cut fabric that is 25" x 25”, and front and side panels of 5” each. All my covers have a zipper panel on the back side, which is cut at 6.5” wide. I use a .5” seam allowance for all seams.

I've made plenty of boxed cushions (plenty of good advice already here), but I thought this thread was going to be about cushions for sewing boxes. I have four sewing boxes and have not made cushions for any of them, but it got me to thinking.

You subtract one sixteenth of an inch from the boxing for every inch of depth of your cushion. Example: for four inch depth cushion you would subtract one quarter inch, therefore it would be three and three quarters plus seam allowances.

Since I worked for JoAnn for many years - it made me cranky reading the comments. how I hard I worked to have great people, keep the store spotless and be within JoAnns crappy payroll cap. The bathroom was hard to manage - mine was in the stockroom. I always let people use it but someone had to escort them. Since we almost always had only 2 people working it was difficult to wait on folks and do bathroom duty.