Are you wondering how to make outdoor cushions and spruce up the furniture on your terrace? You have come to the right place.
The outdoor cushions are a DIY project that can be done in a couple of steps. You only have to plan a design, cut and pin the chosen fabric, sew up the sides, and finish the corners and back. Keep reading our article, where we will elaborate a little more on the subject and give you ideas that can make your porch look astonishing.
What Are Outdoor Cushions?
Before you learn how to make outdoor cushions, we like to explain what exactly is considered a cushion for the outdoors and how it differs from the pillows you already have in your dining or living room. The cushions that can be a part of your patio are weather-resistant pillows that are firm and have seat pads that rest at the top of your seating furniture. They can be loveseats, benches, couches, sectionals, or patio chairs.
The cushions can make every piece of furniture more comfortable for lounging. The most notable feature of these outdoor pillows is the durable fabric that can protect the pads from rain, sunlight, or in some cases, snow.
This activity is a simple and fast do-it-yourself project that people can do without experience with furniture or sewing.
Now let’s dive deeper and explain how to make outdoor cushions and give your space a quick makeover without emptying your wallet.
How to Make Outdoor Cushions?
Updating your deck with fresh new cushions can be a joyful and fun task. Especially because you can glow with pride every time, you look at them and smile because you made them.
With just a little creativity and imagination, in addition to a durable fabric for the outdoors, you can revitalize your outdoor chairs and benches with fresh new pillows. The best part is that the entire procedure can only take an afternoon or two.
- Find a fabric to sustain the weather changes
Before making the cushions, you need to find a fabric to sustain the weather changes. Here is a list of materials that you can use:
A soft and padded fabric
The first step for making outdoor cushions is choosing a heavy-duty fabric that can handle any type of weather throughout the year. Our recommendation is canvas twill. You can also try and visit a fabric store and purchase a material under the “outdoor fabric” label.
Comfortable cushion insert
Although creating the cushions from scratch can provide you with a ton of gratitude in the end, you need to be careful and buy a soft pillow insert. The most comfortable ones are usually thick.
Plus, they have an exterior of layered polyester or foam that is created for the outdoors. You can cut the piece using fabric shears or a handheld saw to be the perfect size for your project.
Sewing machine
This machine will make the sewing operation much quick. Plus, when you use a machine for sewing, your lines will be more straight, which implements professionalism in the quality of the final outcome.
Although this is the best alternative for quickly and effectively sewing the cushions, if you don’t own one, you can try and sew the cushions by hand. The job is not that difficult, and if you are familiar with it, you can finish the pillows simultaneously as the machine would.
Sewing thread and a needle
For finishing the back of your chair pads, you will need a needle and a sewing thread regardless of whether you will use a sewing machine or not. Another thing to remember is to choose an eligible color for the thread so that the colors blend with your fabric and create a unique blend.
- Create a design
Before breaking out the sewing machine and placing on it your purchased fabric, there are a couple of key factors that you need to consider. First, are you creating new cushions for your terrace from scratch, or are you repairing the covers of some old ones?
If you like to make an entire cushion set for the couch and lounge chairs and divide them for every part from the lumbar to the back, you need a proper sketch design. Making a design on paper will help you nail all the sizes and make your patio more stylish.
- Cut and pin the chosen fabric
After making the design, you can spread out your chosen fabric with the right side facing up and placing the cushion on top. By folding the material over the top of the pillow, you can close it. For the fabric to cover each side of the cushion, you need to trim the three open sides. You can use sewing pins to pin the sides together or transport yourself in front of your sewing machine.
- Sew up the sides
Next, sew a straight line alongside the two side seams after removing the cushion insert from your fabric. After sewing the line, reinsert the cushion into the inside-out fabric. The final result should be warm and snugly.
- Finish the corners and the back
You can finish the corners by finding the two front corners where the fabric hangs over the cushion insert and placing a pin along the lines. This will mark the edge of the line you just sew and make your cushions have cleaner-looking corners.
Lastly, to finish the back, flip the material, so its right side is out. Place the cushion insert and check if the corners fit. Fold the backsliders, and tuck the exposed edge to make a clean line. Lastly, grab your needle and thread to stitch the fabric. Since the backside of the cushion is barely visible, you don’t have to waste too much time being precise.
The Final Verdict
New and fresh-looking pillows can do the trick if you are ready to give your patio furniture a chic update. Now that you know how to make outdoor cushions, you can create a design even today and have a fun little project for the weekend. Good luck!
