Material and Supplies

This year I'm making new deck cushions for our Meadowcraft wrought iron deck furniture, purchased in 2008.   At the time there was a 15 year warranty on the frames.  The frames still look great and I think can go many more years.

The new cushions for the chairs are from CushionSource, "Deluxe Cumuplush" outdoor cushion material cut to order 21" x 22.5" x 4".  With tax & shipping it came out to about $34 for each cushion.

The fabric for the chairs is Sunbrella Cultivate Tandoori bought in several pieces from online retailers.  Piping for all is a lighter solid weight red Sunbrella bought at Short Sheets.

I found some nice 27" #5 upholstery zippers in dark brown from Wawak.

5/32" polypropylene cording from Sailrite.

Silk film for wrapping - the first piece was 54" from Amazon, then later bought 48" from Baytrim on Etsy.  The 48" was plenty wide and easier to deal with.

3/4" dacron cushion wrap to start.  I later had to order more and was only able to find 1/2".

3M general purpose spray glue for adhering the cushion wrap to the cushion

Gutterman heavy duty thread for hand sewing the seat back cushions closed

Sailrite hot knife and tempered glass - $140 for the hot knife and $40 for the tempered glass, but I'll be able to re-use this any time I'm working with synthetic upholstery fabric

Covered buttons:  Sailrite didn't have the 1-1/8" size snap-together buttons in stock, so I'm re-using the old buttons

Waxed tufting thread from Sailrite

I also have cushions and material for two benches, and materials to make lumbar pillows.

By the time all this was done I spent about $1700.  That includes 5 chair backs and seats, my small kidney-shaped bench and small garden bench, and I have a lot of fabric left over because as usual I over-ordered.  That also includes the Sailrite hot knife and tempered glass which I'll use in future, fabric for a footstool I'll make one of these days, outdoor lumbar pillow fillers which I'll make into pillows in future, and lots of leftover supplies.

Helpful Videos

Sailrite, Funky Little Chair, and Fabric Farms Interiors have extremely helpful videos on topics like how to use the silk film and how to use the Sailrite hot knife.  Funky Little Chair's video was especially help and I used their instructions to make the box cushions.

Funky Little Chair video on making a box cushion - Box Cushion video by Funky Little Chair

Fabric Farms Interiors discussing how to cut welting fabric on the bias, but not have to much waste, by using a "60 inch bias" method where the piece is cut at only a slight diagonal.  You use less fabric but still get the advantage of the give with a bias cut - Bias cutting by Fabric Farms Interiors

Cutting welting fabric using Sailrite hot knife

 

Cutting seat back fabric using Sailrite hot knife

 

Making welting using basting tape from Sailrite

 

Inserting foam into the cover using silk film 

Layout Planning

The YouTube video from The Funky Little Chair has this great fabric cutting guide.  Just fill in the dimensions of your chair and it helps you to calculate out the dimensions of the pieces to cut out.  This is a cut sheet for a box cushion with welt.

Then I used the information on the cut list to decide how the pieces will be laid out, and to determine how much fabric is needed.  

I want to cut the welting on the bias, which allows more "give" when bending the cording around the corners.  But cutting a 45 inch bias does leave a lot of wasted fabric.  A YouTube video by Fabric Farms Interiors suggests using a "60 inch bias", where the piece is cut at a slight diagonal.    There's less wasted fabric, but you still get the benefit of a little bit of bias cut.

Making Welting with Sailrite Hot Knife

Cutting Welting Strips

Use a ruler to draw 1-1/2" strips.  It's OK to use a sharpie to draw the lines.

The strips can be on the bias, cut horizontal, or cut slightly on the diagonal.  Upholsters call the last a "60 inch bias", made by laying a 60" ruler across the 54" width of fabric.  I'm using this method as it's just enough bias to help the piping on curves, but doesn't take up as much fabric as a 90 degree bias would.

Next I cut strips using my Sailrite Hot Knife and tempered glass sheet.  Here's a video of strips being cut with the hot knife

Video: Cutting Piping Strips 

Assembling Welting

For the welting I bought 5/32" polypropylene outdoor welting cord from Sailrite.  

I've also purchased 1/4" basting tape from Sailrite.  The basting tape is applied just inside one edge of the welting.  Then the tape is peeled back to reveal the double-sided sticky tape.  The piping is laid inside and the edge folded over, and finger-pressed to close.  This eliminates the need to baste by machine and eliminates any issues with extra welt stitching showing when the cushions pieces are sewn together.   

Video:  Making welting with basting tape

Update:  after doing a few cushions I decided it's just as easy to baste by machine, so I have lots of the basting tape left over.

Cutting and Marking Back Cushion Fabric

I'm re-using the old seat back foam, and using the old cushion as a pattern to cut the new one.  Laying the old seat piece over the new fabric, both with wrong sides up.  The new fabric has a subtle stripe so folded the old piece in half to make sure it's reasonably straight.

I'm using the Sailrite Hot Knife and tempered glass to cut the fabric.  It's so much easier and time saving since the hot knife seals the fabric as it cuts.

Use the hot knife to cut along the same edge as the old fabric, with just a tiny bit more at the bottom to make it easier to fold and sew.

Use the hot knife to make small notches at center top and bottom, and along the curve where I'd normally clip.

Use pencil to mark darks on the wrong side, and chalk to mark center button location on the right side.

Center button is 10" down from top seam line, and centered.

Sewing Back Cushion

Make pleats, pin, and baste front

I marked the pleat locations on the old piping and then used that to mark pleat the locations on the new set back and front.  

First marking on the front piece (the longer piece), it's 

17.5" to first pleat

20.5" to second pleat

28.5" to center

The piping ends right at the fabric end

The back cushions will be sewn shut and won't have zippers. 

** Start from the center of the upper back and work out.  There may be little excess piping at the ends to cut off, but we have plenty. **  

Baste the piping to the front.

Pin the back to the front and sew permanent seam.

Use the hot knife to cut snips all around the curved edges, through all layers (piping and front).

Sew back to front

On the back piece (the shorter piece) use the hot make little snips along the curved edge.

Pin the back to the front, making pleats to match the front.  

Sew with permanent seam.

Make box

To make the box at bottom fold the bottom of the front (the long piece) and stitch, leaving 1/2" open at the end.

Fold under the bottom edge of the back (the short piece) in 1/2" and press.

Turn the cover right-side out and press

Inserting Foam into the cover

One of the most difficult steps when I've done cushions in the past was to insert the foam into the finished cover.  Very difficult when the foam is expanded!

Cover the cushion encasing top, bottom and all sides, with silk film, with the bottom open.  Open the bottom end and insert a vacuum cleaner hose, and turn the vacuum on.  The film immediately compresses the cushion.  

With the vacuum still on insert the cushion into the cover.  Reach inside and add the little strip of dacron along the top edge.

Turn off the vacuum and the cushion quickly expands.

Reach inside and pull out the silk film, being careful not to pull out the dacron strip at top.  Discard the used silk film (I've tried salvaging it for re-use, but it's so thin it tears very easily and isn't worth the effort).  .

This is the first time I've used silk film and I'm in love with this method, here's a video.

Inserting foam using silk film

Finishing Seat Back Cushion

Close Bottom Edge

Wrap the back bottom edge over the front bottom edge, and hand sew closed with heavy duty thread.

 

Tufting Button

Cut about a 36" long piece of tufting thread.  Thread one end through the button. 

Run both ends of the thread through the long tufting needle. 

Insert the tufting needle at the mark on the top side, pointing down as perpendicular as possible, then check the other side to make sure it's coming out at the other spot marked.  Repeat as needed and don't push the needle through until you have it on the mark. 

Pull the needle through and pull the thread through - you need to pull quite hard to get the thread to go through.   

Remove the needle and adjust the thread so one end is long and the other end shorter.   Run the shorter thread through the second button.

Make a Slipknot:

Run the long thread around the top of the short thread, then under, then over back over itself

Then run the thread back under and up over itself again to make a slipknot.

1 - Long thread loops over the top of the short thread - at bottom of the picture

2 - Long thread loops under the short thread - top left

3 - Long thread loops over itself - top right

4 - Long thread loops under itself - middle right

5 - Long thread loops over itself - bottom right

6 - Pull to make the slip knot, then 

7 - Pull the short and long ends together to make a tight fit - it may require fiddling with the bottom button as well as the top.  

9 - Pull until it's as tight as you want then make a square knot (right over left and left over right) then trim ends.

Box Seat Cushions

Funky Little Chair has a video that perfectly explains how to show a box cushion with welt.  I'm just following their instructions:

Funky Little Chair video

Top and bottom pieces:  the pattern repeat on the Tandoori will allow me to cut both pieces right next to each other.

Boxing:  For boxing I'm cutting a 40" x 5" piece, with the front centered.  Then cutting two more pieces to sew on the side to fill in the full length needed.  The boxing folds on the side to hide the ends of the zipper.

Zipper:  I bought 27" zippers.  I'm cutting two 3" high pieces, one over the other (the width doesn't let me cut them side by side.  After seaming that will be a 5" strip, same size as boxing.  

The Ottoman will be identical size.  

Here's the fabric layout:

The cutting layout will be approximately like this.  The zip and front will be centered to the fabric stripes pattern.  The box sides will need to be adjusted to match the pattern to the piece they're joining up to.  (NOTE I've changed the zip piece to be 30" long, to give just a little more room at each end.)

I've cut paper pattern pieces using pattern paper, and need to be careful the paper doesn't catch fire when I'm cutting with the hot knife!

Cutting:

Cut out pieces with hot knife and mark insides.  Make sure to keep centers and to match stripes where pieces are joined (boxing panels and zipper piece).  Use the hot knife or chalk to mark the centers on each side.  On the boxing and zipper mark where the corners are expected to be (they may be a little off when sewn).  

Assembling (using steps in Funky Little Chair video):

1.  Sew the boxing panels together, matching stripes.  Press.

2.  Sew 1" at the end of each zipper panel, then center and sew the zipper

3. Sew the welting to the first seat panel.  Start at the center back, leave 2" extra for joining, and stitch around.  When you're almost at a corner cut 3 little notches to help the welting curve.  you get to a corner give it just a tiny bit of curve - not exactly 90 degrees.  

4.  When you get to the center back stop a few inches before.  Clip each side of the welting so they go about 1" past center.  Open each side and cut the cord so it reaches just to the center notch.  Flatten the fabric and fold each side so the cord meets in the center and the two ends just go past the other side, then stitch over them.  

5.  Repeat on the other seat panel

When both seat panels are done, start attaching the boxing and zip panels:

6.  Start at center front, sewing the welt to one seat panel.  When you get to just before the corner cut a little notch where the corner will be.  Now fold the box panel and cut a notch on the other side - this helps to ensure that the box panel is even on both sides.  Pivot at the corner and continue to halfway point on the box side.  Flip the fabric, start back and center front, and repeat to sew to halfway to the other box side.

7.  Repeat with the zipper panel, starting at center back and rounding the corner then stitching just 1".  Flip and repeat on the other side.

8.  Stitch the ends of the box panel and zip panel together on each side.

9.  Fold to make a pocket so the box panel partly covers the end of the zipper on each side, and stitch.

10.  Open the zipper, then repeat with the other seat panel.

The cover is now ready for dacron wrap.

Dacron Wrap, Silk Film, and Finishing Box Seat

 Dacron wrap will be added to the seat cushions and the back cushion to fill in any nooks and crannies, give a nice crown on top and slightly overstuffed appearance.

1.  Cut two pieces, 22" x 23.5" (seat depth and width +1", for a 1/2" overlap on all sides.   Cut long strips 4" wide (easiest to use rotary and cut several at once) for the sides.

2.  Wrap the 4" strip around the boxing and zip panels, securing with a very light spray glue.  Add the top seat and bottom seat panels, securing with a very light spray of glue.

3.  Cover the entire thing with silk film, seat back toward, you leaving generous extra at sides.  Fold the film back at the center back and insert the vacuum hose and turn on.  Carefully fold up the silk wrap around it and the foam immediately shrinks.  Here's a video:

Using silk film to insert foam

4.  Insert the foam into the seat cushion and release the vacuum.  As the foam expands adjust as needed so it's nicely centered.  Reach in and remove the silk film and discard it.  (It's possible to remove it in one piece and re-use it, but I don't think it's worth the effort.)

5.  Zip closed and it's done!

Finished Chair

One chair finished!  The remaining chair, sofa and ottoman will be much easier now that I have the pattern and method.  I think I'll add some lumbar pillows in the same fabric with red trim.