Padded Bench Cushion Tutorial

I made a duck egg blue padded bench cushion, tufted with poms poms rather than buttons. DIY Sewing Free Tutorial.

Dimensions
Finished bench cushion measures 39 x 118 x 5cm

Tip
Different sized bench cushion
To fit a different-sized bench, measure the width and add 16cm. Similarly, you could make the bench a different depth - just add 7cm to the desired finished width. You may need to alter the number of mini pom poms to correspond.

You will need...

    2 duck egg blue poly cotton (134cm x 9cm ( front & back gussets))
    2 duck egg blue poly cotton (46cm x 9cm (side gussets))
    2 duck egg blue poly cotton (134cm x 46cm (rectangles for top and bottom panels)
    rico stranded cotton
    polyester toy filling
    all purpose sewing thread (t o match fabric)
    embroidery sewing needles
    33 mini pom poms

How-to step by step

Step 1

To assemble the gusset, pin each end of the upper gusset strip to one end of each side gusset strip with right sides together. Pin each end of the lower gusset strip to the other end of each side gusset strip.

Step 2

Stitch 3/4in (1cm) seams, starting and stopping 3/8in (1cm) from the ends of the seam.

Step 3

Press the seams open.

Step 4

Pin the front panel to the front edge of the gusset, with right sides together and raw edges even, matching the seams in the gusset with the corners of the front panel.

Step 5

Stitch a 3/8in (1cm) seam around all four edges, pivoting the fabric at the corners. (The unstitched portions at the ends of the gusset seam will open up to allow you to do this)

Step 6

Pin the back panel to the back edge of the gusset in the same way as in step 3. 

Step 7

Starting in the middle of the lower edge, stitch a 3/4in (1cm) seam around all four edges, pivoting the fabric at the corners, and stopping 5in (12cm) from where you started

Step 8

, to leave an opening. 

Step 9

Snip off the corners of the seam allowances. Turn the cover right side out through the opening, and use a blunt-ended tool such as the rounded end of a chopstick to carefully push out the corners.

Step 10

Using a water-soluble pen or a dressmaker's pencil, mark where your pom poms will go on the right side of the front and in corresponding places on the right side of the back. Here the 33 pom poms are spaced 11cm apart. Using a water-soluble pen or a dressmaker's pencil, mark your stitch lines, 1cm from edge, 1 cm apart.

Step 11

With an embroidery needle threaded with embroidery cotton, hand sew running stitch 3/8in (1cm) from the edge around the entire headboard on both the front and back panels. The stitching should go through both the front/back panel and the gusset, creating a narrow flange all around the front and another around the back. Leaving the opening unstitched for now.

Step 12

Stuff the cover with filling. 

Step 13

Turn in the seam allowances of the opening and slipstitch closed.

Step 14

Make 33 small pom poms ( see mini pom pom craft tutorial for how to make)

Step 15

For the pom pom-tufting, thread a long upholstery needle with embroidery cotton. Starting with one of the central pairs of marks done in step 5, insert the needle into the mark at the back. While holding on to the end of the embroidery cotton, push the needle through the padding, and out again at the back where it first went in. Now thread it through the shank of a pom pom and tie the ends in a slip knot. Pull the ends tight and fasten securely. Repeat for the remaining pom poms.