Upcycled Coffee Table Part II: Cushion

So the bench cushion that I put together to put on top of the entryway bench was a much needed element.
I wanted my brother to have a comfortable spot to sit to put his shoes on. It also allows us to add some softness in terms of upholstery to his masculine space.
So what did I come up with. Well it started with a foam piece (2 1/2 inch high density foam) cut to the dimensions of the bench top.

Next some fabric:

First may I say, how much I love this fabric. It was a heavyweight Jacquard fabric and it was scrumptious to work with. It is the Bernard Callebaut or Laura Secord version of all fabrics. It pretty much guided itself through the sewing machine. Soo luxurious! It was also 11$/m so definitely a  splurge for me but it was double width so I got away with purchasing only 1.3 m for the whole project. Now on to the sewing!

How to make a basic seat cushion:
1. First measure and remeasure the size of your bench foam cushion, you want the foam to fit snug so measure and cut the exact measurements as your cushion. Ultimately, after tucking in about 1/2 inch on all sides, you should achieve a snug fit.
2. Measure the depth of your foam, this will provide you with the measurements for the side panels for the bench cushion.
3.  Cut your pieces to the exact measurements, we want the foam to fit snug.
4. Decide which side of the fabric will be the finished side (this fabric was double sided), in some fabrics it is pretty obvious. Put the finished sides together of one of each A and B panels and pin or safety pin the hems together. This part is so important for straight clean lines and easy sewing.

Each seam should be about 1/2 inch  and you must remember to use a back stitch at the beginning, middle and end of the stitch for a strong seam. Flip over to the finished side. Iron the seam for a clean look.
5. Repeat for all of the panels until you have one A panel attached to both B and both C panels each with 1/2 inch seam. Iron after each seam is complete. Note which B panel will face outwards and which will be against the wall. The B panel that faces the wall will hold our zipper.
6.  Flip over to the unfinished side and attach the second A panel again with half inch seams to the the already attached B and C panels.

In Progress- Did not fit snugly!

7. Determine the length of zipper that will be required. I went with a 28 inch zipper on a 52 inch bench cushion. Measure the length between the beginning and the stopper of the zipper, there is always some excess material that hides inside the cushion. Create a slit in the middle of the B panel that will face the wall according to this measurement.This will be the space for our zipper.
8. Fold the open seam over by about 1/4 inch and pin the zipper onto the fold to create a finished look. Next, sew the zipper in place with the zipper handle facing towards the finished side. I will have to take a picture of this so I'll update the blog when I do. This took me a few tries before I got it just right.
9. Unzip the zipper to a few inches and complete the sewing of the zipper on the other side. Again folding the B panel inwards for that finished look.
10. Unzip the entire zipper at this point and flip inside out. You should be left with a complete cushion in which the foam will be a snug fit. To be honest, mine needed a bit more tucking in before it was a snug fit. But after those adjustments are made, the cushion will look fantastic.

I do not have a final final picture (more specifically, the bench in its final spot but will update in a few days with those pics. For now: I'm going to give you the before and After for your enjoyment.