How To Make A Chair Cushion With Foam? Easy Step-by-step Guide

Helen Skeates
Helen Skeates
16 min read

There are times when we have an abundance of unused supplies. Chair cushions can be made from foam scraps, which can be used to create something useful and decorative.

Depending on the scale of your undertaking, you will need a piece of foam and some cloth. You just need to follow the instructions, which entail mostly cutting, stitching, and gluing. You may have unique padding that adds character to your home in just a few hours.

Do you have some spare foam lying around, or are you looking for a fun DIY project to improve the comfort of your seating? Keep reading to find out what materials and methods you’ll need to create a one-of-a-kind seat pad.

Benefits of Chair Cushions

Posture

An ergonomic seat cushion facilitates correct sitting position, which in turn improves your body’s default posture. If you have naturally good posture, you will have more energy and be able to concentrate better. In addition to improving your mood and self-esteem, it also makes you look better. You’ll be strutting your thing even when your buddies are using walkers since it helps you mature gracefully.

Less compression on your hips, spine, and tailbone

The coccyx and hips take the brunt of the pressure in badly built seats, leading to discomfort and exhaustion. Even worse, this can cause spinal and joint problems that lower your standard of living. A high-quality cushion can help spread out the damaging effects of sitting by absorbing some of the compression.

How to Make Your Own Chair Pad Cushions - YouTube

Circulation

The compression of most seats also limits blood flow to the pelvis, legs, and back. This makes it difficult for your tissues and muscles to receive adequate oxygen and eliminate waste products of metabolism. This is painful and exhausting. It also worsens cardiovascular health by increasing the workload placed on the heart to circulate blood throughout the body.

Digestion

Besides blood, other bodily fluids also need to pass via the pelvis and abdomen. Constipation, heartburn, and irritable bowel syndrome are just some of the digestive issues that can result from living in such close quarters (irritable bowel syndrome). If you’re going to eat that last piece of pizza, you might as well leave your stomach some room to do its thing.

Comfort

If you have to sit for an extended period of time, you might as well be as comfortable as possible. Quality memory foam is universally praised for its soothing comfort and beneficial support. And when you add in the ergonomic benefits of a seat cushion designed with your heinie in mind, you’ve got yourself a heinie’s delight. However, you should still get up and move around every once in a while.

Energy

Improved energy and focus can be expected from the reduction of discomfort and improvement in posture and circulation. Supportive seat cushions can help you get more done while yet leaving you with energy for your personal life (whaaaat?).

Materials You Will Need

Foam, fabric, spray glue, measuring implements, needle and thread (or a sewing machine), and scissors are all you need for this project. Cover piping and zippers are also available, although they are not required.

For this task, it is recommended that you acquire enough foam to create a cushion at least two inches thick.

Making A DIY Chair Cushion With Foam

Step #1. Measure the chair seat

Taking a measurement of your seat using a measuring tape is, obviously, the first step. Using this method, you may determine if your chair has sufficient padding.

Step #2. Prepare the foam insert

After gathering enough foam for the padding, a fabric like muslin should be used to encase it. If you do this, the foam within the cushion cover won’t rub against anything and wear out faster.

Lightly spray the foam insert from top to bottom with glue, then wrap it in fabric. Wrap it up in the cloth afterward.

Trim the excess and press the fabric. Hold off on moving on until the foam has dried.

Step #3. Cutting the sides

Prepare your fabric by cutting it into pieces that are the same size as your foam. Make sure you have enough material to cut out two pieces for the top and bottom, as well as one for all four sides.

The pieces of fabric should be enlarged by an inch on all sides. Specifically, the dimensions of your foam are 2 inches thick, 20 inches wide, and 18 inches deep. The dimensions for your top and bottom sections should be 2119, and so on.

Sew the side fabric pieces together with a 1/2-inch seam to make the side assembly.

Step #3.1. Adding in piping (optional)

To give your cushion some structure, you can add piping to the cover. You can either buy pre-made pipe or make your own.

Pillow piping is added by pinning it to the cover. Make cuts to create a bending radius at the corners.

Piping’s raw edges should line up with the cushion’s finished edges. Allow the piping’s ends to overlap and meet before pinning them to the cushion cover. You should attach the piping to the underside of the cushion in the same way you did before.

Step #4. Finishing the cushion

The final process is to sew the components of the cushion cover together. Make sure to leave a 1/2 inch seam between the top and bottom when sewing the pieces together. All of the seams should be on the inside of the cover, so sew all three sides first.

Place the foam into the cushion and zip it up. After that, your homemade cushion is ready to be used in any chair, and you can even take it with you if you want to!

Adding a zipper (optional)

You may make washing the cover and the foam within your cushion much simpler by adding a zipper. Adding a zipper to the process modifies steps three and beyond and adds some extra work, but the end result is well worth it.

Piping for the bottom cover should be joined only on one long side and two short sides, with the ends falling off the other long side. If the bottom cover has piping along one side, line up that side with the long length of the side assembly.

The seam should be regular stitched and basted, and the seam allowance should be 1/2 inch. Lift the seam with a press.

How to Make Chair or Barstool Cushions - Sewing Tutorial - Bloom

Insert the zipper over the basted seam, and then stitch the zipper tape to the seam allowances. You should turn the cushion over and sew the zipper down so that the right side is showing. Next, use a seam ripper to unpick the seam above the zipper.

As before, proceed to step 4. The only change is that it’s possible to sew the panels together before inserting the foam. Once you’ve finished stitching the four sides together, you may insert the foam through the zipper.

How to Clean a Chair Cushion

  • Care instructions may be found on the label.
  • If you can, please machine wash the cover.
  • Maintain a regular vacuuming schedule
  • Revitalize yourself
  • When needed, perform spot cleaning.
  • In order to get the best results, hand washing is recommended.
  • Let dry well before using.

Every chair can benefit from a portable or travel cushion. It’s a godsend for situations where prolonged sitting is unavoidable, such in an office chair, an airplane seat, or a stadium. Support from a cushion can aid in correcting your posture and reducing the strain on your lower back. However, as you go from place to place with your portable cushion, the fabric will inevitably become dirty and stained. If you take care of your seat cushion, it will last much longer and be more comfortable. Cleaning your portable cushion regularly will prevent the buildup of dirt, grime, and other substances that can shorten its lifespan.

Fortunately, maintaining the cleanliness of your portable seat cushion can be simpler than you think. It should be possible to maintain its pristine condition with minimal effort, although this will vary with the type of fabric and materials used.

Check the Label for Care Instructions

Always start with the manufacturer’s label to ensure safe use. Cleaning guidelines for seat cushions might vary substantially depending on the cushion’s fabric and filling. If you don’t find any kind of label on your seat cushion’s cover, you may always look up the company online or give them a call.

Machine Wash the Cover When Possible

The Purple Seat Cushion is just one example of a portable seat cushion that features a removable, machine-washable cushion cover to make cleanup a breeze. The cover may be easily removed for a gentle machine wash and tumble dried on low or air drying. It’s preferable to use a gentle detergent. This is true for most removable fabric covers, but always follow the manufacturer’s care instructions for your particular portable seat cushion.

Vacuum Regularly

You can begin by simply vacuuming the exterior surface of your cushion if it is gathering up dirt, debris, pet hair, dust, etc., especially at outdoor events. An immediate and substantial amount of dirt and filth will be eliminated in this fashion. Use the upholstery brush attachment on your vacuum to loosen and remove stubborn dirt and debris. You can also use a dry soft bristle brush to scrub your cushion’s surface before you vacuum. Any dust or dirt that has dried to the surface will loosen and be easier to remove with a vacuum after this process.

If you notice that your cushion is becoming a dumping ground for pet hair, try rubbing your palm over the surface while wearing a rubber glove. The glove has magnetic properties that will attract the pet hair, making it easy to remove off the cushion.

Freshen Up

Even if there are no obvious stains on your cushion, the fabric may nevertheless have a foul odor. If your cushion’s major problem is an unpleasant odor, there are a few things you can do to fix the problem. If you want to clean your cushion, you should sprinkle baking soda on it, let it set for at least an hour, and then vacuum it. Together with the baking soda, this will eliminate any unpleasant scents from the material. Just do it again if the odor persists. Add a few drops of your preferred essential oil, such as lemon or lavender, to the baking soda before sprinkling it on your cushion for an extra special touch.

You can also use a spray bottle filled with white vinegar or a mixture of vinegar and water to revive yourself quickly. Before using vinegar on your entire cushion, test a tiny area to be sure it doesn’t fade the color. If you let your cushion dry in the open air, the odor should significantly diminish. If you can, air out your pillow in the sun. A breath of fresh air and some sunshine can do wonders for getting rid of unpleasant odors.

Spot Clean When Necessary

Spot cleaning usually works just as well if you can’t throw the cover in the washing machine. If your drink spills on your cushion, you can wipe it up in a few different ways.

First, use a clean cloth to blot up the spill as soon as possible to prevent the liquid from soaking into the cushion. Vinegar can be used to wipe up spills and stains, and it can also help prevent stains and odors. You might also produce a mild cleanser by mixing dish soap and water and blotting the spot repeatedly. The ratio of dish soap to water you could try is 1:4. A commercial stain remover can also be used to help get stains out of materials.

It’s possible that the stain could be removed by applying a small amount of mild soap to the area and letting it sit for a time. Finally, wipe the area with a clean cloth while gently scrubbing with a soft bristle brush. If there is any soap residue, wipe it away with a damp cloth; a microfiber towel is ideal for this. The next step is to give your cushion some time to dry in the air. It’s possible that you’ll need to do this several times to get the stain out before you’re happy with the results.

Hand Wash for Deeper Cleaning

You may need to give your cushion a more thorough cleaning if you have to deal with a stain, filth, or odor problem that has penetrated to the foam. In that case, you might try washing the inner cushion core by hand with mild soap and water. Remove the lid and let it dry completely in the air before restoring it. Read the label carefully for precise instructions on how to care for the item. It is not recommended to use soap and water to clean many varieties of foam.

Superiority of Purple Seat Cushions might be attributed to its simplicity of maintenance. The Purple Grid’s exclusive Hyper-Elastic Polymer substance means that they can be easily cleaned in the dishwasher or the washing machine. After removing the removable cover from a Purple cushion (which can be washed in a machine), you may give the polymer Purple Grid core a thorough hand wash for a more thorough cleaning. Our cushion core can withstand hand washing better than memory foam or poly foam can.

It can be done in a kitchen sink, a bathtub, or a huge tub of warm, soapy water, depending on the size of your cushion. Just make sure there’s enough room for the whole cushion to be submerged in whatever you’re using. Pressing down on the cushion as it is submerged in clean water can help distribute the soap and water throughout the cushion. If the water in your bathtub starts to seem dirty, drain it and fill it with fresh, soapy water. The dirt or stain should be rinsed out of the cushion as many times as necessary until the water runs clear. After that, squeeze the cushion as hard as you can to get as much water out of it as possible before draining your container.

Air Dry Fully Before Using

It’s important to let the cushion dry down fully before using it. It is recommended that you take the cushion from the hand washing container and squeeze out as much water as possible before replacing it. The next step is to cover your cushion in dry towels and gently push on them to squeeze out any remaining moisture. After doing this several times, you should put the cushion somewhere warm, bright, and well-ventilated so that it may continue to air dry; ideally, this would be outside in the sunlight. If you want your pillow to dry more quickly after washing, try not to lay it flat on the floor.

Put a portable seat cushion in the dryer at your own risk unless the care instructions say you may. The extreme heat and agitation will do serious damage to your cushion.

How to Make Chair or Barstool Cushions - Sewing Tutorial - Bloom

Where Can You Use a Chair Cushion?

A seat cushion can be used in place of a chair almost anyplace. They can be used for practically any kind of chair you can imagine, including desk chairs, dining room chairs, bar stools, outdoor seating, theater seats, and even airplane seats. Anywhere you sit, a supportive and pressure-relieving seat cushion can make the experience more pleasant and beneficial to your health.

The filth that accumulates on a seat cushion will be varied depending on where it is used. Crusts from lunch and coffee stains can quickly accumulate on an office chair cushion, while at home, pet hair can make its way into the fabric. Food spills are the most common cause of stained seat cushions. Snacks high in grease can ruin clothing and smell bad. However, the following tips will help you maintain your cushion clean no matter how it gets soiled.

Conclusion

Recreating a chair cushion from scrap foam is a great way to reuse old materials and cut costs. Your furniture will look and function like new with only a little bit of measuring, cutting, and sewing.

Helen Skeates

Helen Skeates

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