Custom Papasan Cushion Cover
One of my clients (and friend) Celeste asked me to make a custom cover for her papasan chair. If you’ve never heard of a papasan chair, its like a round wicker bowl with a big cushion. They are so comfy, perfect for curling up with a good book.
Celeste is an artist and provides consultations to creatives with her business Conjure Creativity. She’s described as “a witch who fuses art and magic” and I always enjoy working with her. Check out her powerful art here!
making the Cover
I measured the cushion and factored out how much fabric would be required, including different fabric widths, so she could shop for fabric herself. She chose a wonderfully spooky black canvas with neon spiders – my kind of fabric!
The cushion was about 54” in diameter and the fabric was 54” wide. I kept the seam allowance small, a little under ½” to maximize the fabric. Any smaller and we would have had to add a couple yards to make a big enough cover! I like to keep the cost of materials as low as possible for my clients, so I was very happy this yardage worked.
To make the large circle (much larger than my handheld compass), I used a measuring tape radiating out from the center of the fabric to draw out the circle for the cover using tailor’s chalk. After making the initial markings, I went back over the lines by hand to make sure they were the right curvature.
Wash-ability is so important with home goods; I installed a long upholstery zipper so the cushion could be removed and washed. I also pinked and zig-zagged the seams inside so they will be even more durable and survive many, many washes.
The cover was a hit and fit perfectly! Celeste was kind enough to send me pictures of the cushion in its natural habitat. Click on the images to see them full size.
Thanks for reading <3
Psst… I will be closing my books to commissions soon and reopening them again in the new year – contact me soon if you need a custom sewn item! Once the books are closed, I’ll create a wait list for new clients so you’ll be first to know when they open again.
