outdoor cushions

Ok I have never tackled actual cushions before and I am looking for some guidance. My daughter and I recently picked up some wicker and metal patio chairs that need new cushions and before I start sewing them I want to be sure it is not going to be cheaper and easier on my sanity just to go buy them. The metal furniture is a lounger and chairs, while the wicker is a large "papasan" style love seat

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I "assume'the easiest way for the metal furniture is just to take the size foam that I need and make a cover - either in a pillow case style or box edges depending on my time and patience. The wicker is trickier since I am figuring it has to be fibre filled and tufted. this brings up a question or two. Any guesses on how much fibre fill I am going to need and I am "assuming" I should make a slip cover to aid in cleaning. Anyone have any suggestions for fabric as these will most likely end up getting wet since there are no guarantees people will bring them into the porch when it rains(I dont see a problem drying out the foam but the fibre fill is a whole different story)- fading is not an issue as I don't really care. ok thats all for now, fire away with your responses.

elaine

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earhtmother
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LottaTroublemaker had written this in response to

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:Hi earhtmother,

Shoot, I wrote a long post for you, sharing all my experiences from when I made chair cushions and a sunbed mattress, then I had forgot to log in and it got lost! Well, I'll try again... :)

You need a fabric that is meant for outdoor use. These are expensive, but I got fabric real cheap on eBay, from the US, even with shipping to Norway it was real cheap compared to if I were to buy here! Search ebay dot com for "outdoor fabric". I paid $5.99 pr. yard (shipping will be the largest cost) and the fabric seems great, much better than I thought it would be! Most such fabrics are acrylic, as that is very suitable for the outdoors. There's lots of solids and prints to choose from, just steer clear of those for awnings etc., those are a bit too thick and stiff to be comfy for cushions. The one I got, is recommended for cushions for boats, gardens, patios etc. If you want me to, I could probably dig up the seller I got mine from (I bought a solid taupe one, to combine with some smaller cushions, tablecloth etc. with dark taupe and blue "retro" flowers, this fabric was on my old cushions that did not fit my new chairs - the two tie nicely together and if I get tired of the pattern, it can easily and cheaply be replaced for a new look while the larger and more expensive cushions are more "classical" in their solid fabric).

I used an approx 5-6cm thick foam, with a layer of batting on top. The batting is important to get real pretty and comfy cushions, they look a lot better than just foam. For my sunbed, I used an old, very thick (special anti pressure) bed top mattress, which is made from fibers rather than foam, with an added cheap duvet to get it slightly thicker. Since I wanted cushions NOW, and didn't take time to wait for the fabric, I made the whole thing from fabric I had, and when spring comes, I'll sew slipcovers from the new outdoor fabric, so the old fabric will serve as an inner cover only. This is an advantage, as it will be much easier to take the covers on and off with something covering the batting. I measured the cushion around, including the sides, then after sewing up the sides, I marked and pinned the corners and sewed to "box" them.

I cut the foam using an electric steak knife. Those work real well for this purpose, you get clean and professional cuts, but be sure to keep the knife at a 90 degree angle since it does not have the bars helping with that that pro foam knifes have (but aside from that, they're almost the same!). I got my steak knife cheap online, to use for craft purposes.

I bought a dirt cheap summer duvet, one that was flat rather than fluffy, for a cheap batting alternative. Use your seam ripper to take out all the stitching and pull the cover carefully off. You can then use the cover for an inner cover (if it is 100% cotton, I would wash it first - mine was

100% polyester).

When the foam is cut, spread a layer of batting on it, and cut the corners so they get only one layer. You can use spray glue on the foam first, I didn't though, because I knew I had a great method of inserting the cushions into the cover without disturbing the batting, using the vacuum/Hoover. Here is a video showing you how to do this:

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left an opening approx half of the back side wide, and when the cushionwas sucked flat, I simply rolled it around the vacuum's hose (with itstill in place, vacuum going), inserted it through the opening, opened itinside and positioned it before I turned the vacuum off. BTW, I use thismethod for lots of stuff now, e.g. I have used it to make lots of stuffsmall for storage, when it's flat, I roll it up and wrap it in clingfilm,then turn the vacuum off and remove the vacuum hose. Much better thanthose expensive vacuum bags which often re-inflate after a while! Oh well,that was off topic, LOL... I closed my cushions using a simple, ladder stitch, by hand. Sure, could have used zippers or velcro, but it really does not take much time to stitch up cushions and when it's done, it really looks great, better than with a zipper, I think, as the stitch is nicely hidden.

For the papasan loveseat, I think I would have used some foam at the bottom too, but much more batting on top, to give it the right look at the same time as you are sure not to feel the frame underneath. Ordinary poly batting is not "substantial" enough for this. If you have something you can recycle though, that might be a great idea. What comes to mind is old comforters, old top mattresses, fabric scraps cut in strips, small foam pieces (but that takes a lot of cutting - ouch, unless you have several to help you)... You could sew a simple inner cover from some calico, with some of the above mentioned inside, then cover that with some poly batting outside, for a nice finish. A cheap polyester duvet could be a good option. You could then use it's cover for an inner cover too. Then add stitches through it all (and tie it well with a surgeons knot before you hide the end inside the batting) at regular intervals to keep the filling in place and to give it a nice papasan look - with matching such stitches on your other cushions, that should tie it all together).

As mentioned, I chose to use a pattern only on details. The reason was that I got cushions last year, and loved the fabric on them, so I really hated having to see them go because of my new chairs and need to get a much better mattress on my sunbed. So I ripped them apart and re-used the fabric as well as the inside of the mattress (for chair cushions, supplemented by the same thickness foam from an old chair cushion, so I did not have to buy any foam at all). I made small rectangular pillows for the chairs, as lumbar support pillows and also a neck pillow for my sunbed, with long bands attatched to a little round sand-filled pillow, that I toss over the top of the sunbeds back, making the neck pillow stay in place nicely. I also made a little tablecloth and a round cushion to put under my knees on the sunbed.

I still haven't sewn the final outer cover from the new fabric, decided to let that wait until spring since it will be quick and no need to let the new cushion covers collect dust over the winter, instead the fabric is stored in a box.

Good luck!

Lotta :)

earhtmother wrote:

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LottaTroublemaker

DeMoores had written this in response to

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: Hi Elaine,

Well, sounds like you have your work cut out for you! How is the project going. I don't know if I can add anything to what Lotta said (wow! You have obviously done this before!), but I can add my two cents worth:

I recently made a shower curtain out of an amazing fabric. It was totally washable (which I think is good for outdoors), it had a black out quality (so you could not see through it - maybe it makes it more durable) and it was 100% waterproof!

Would love to hear what you ended up doing.

Valerie

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