Commission Pillow

I was commissioned to help make a pillow for a window bench. The trick was, this is the second try. Someone else did it first, but it wasn’t quite right. There is an angle at one side of the bench, and that makes this tricky.

There are two kinds of pillows in this world, fluffy/smooshy pillows, and angular tight pillows. This is an angular pillow, with piping, covering a three inch piece of cut foam. Piping is unforgiving, like a hot say at the State Fair- you can see every roll, pucker and buckle on display. The good news is, on an angular foam pillow, you can measure very accurately. The bad news is, on an angular pillow, you have to measure very carefully.

The first issue with the cushion was the cut of the foam. It was not properly sized.

Here is what I know for sure. With ALL DIY the perfect tool makes the project a snap. And here, the perfect tool is the old fashion electric carving knife.

I took the knife to the client, and cut the pillow on site to make sure that I didn’t misinterpret any notes, and make a mistake at home.

First, I took a seam ripper and opened up a seam to expose the foam. It was a little discolored, but still in good shape. But this ‘reveal’ of the insides was a little bit shocking. The previous person did not have a cutting knife. The poor beast had just hacked that foam (with great care). The person before me did not have an electric knife. And even the best scissors would produce a hacking pattern.

At JoAnn’s they use an electric knife to cut their foam. They are adamant – “no custom cuts, and no customers use the knife” No exceptions. (It’s understandable really. )

I cut the foam. I picked the old seams out of the cushion. Then I measured and remeasured and sewed a case with 6 sides. I piped around the top 3/4 edge (mostly because on this cushion, that is all that was going to show).

And in the end, here is the window seat in place.

If I had it to do again, I would make it tighter. The foam was sturdy, but, there is still a little bit of “give”. I would like it to be smooth, even after someone has sat down. But, overall, I am happy with it. It was an interesting challenge.