Categories: Outdoor

Sew Easy Outdoor Cushion Covers

Published by
James marcus

Looking to replace your outdoor cushion covers? You’ve come to the right place!

I’m going to show you step-by-step how easy it is to make new covers for those faded, time-worn, covered in bird poop and who knows what else, outdoor cushions!

Making new covers made my outdoor furniture look brand new again! (Plus I spray painted the actual chair, again…good for another year!)

I purchased this set at Target years ago. It came with several pieces and the price was right, only then it was white with light green cushions.

Since then it’s had two wardrobe changes, not including this one, and a new paint job. I give it another light coat of spray paint each Summer to freshen it up.

Maybe some day I’ll get a new set, but when it still looks this good, why bother?

The before was really just so sad…downright embarrassing:

And the deck…gross! Not to worry though, I spent the past three days out there. (And believe me, my arms are not happy right now!) A little demo and lots of elbow grease and it’s looking so much better. How does it end up like this??

UPDATE: You can see the deck HERE now!

Ok so here we go!

  • Select your Fabric

I prefer to use stripes or something with a geometric pattern to make cutting a straight line easier. These are outdoor fabrics I found at JoAnn Fabrics.

  • Cut your fabric

Next you’ll want to lay out your cushion so that folded over, the fabric covers the cushion from top to bottom. (Here I removed the old cover, but I didn’t remove them all. They actually keep their shape better if you keep the old covers on.)

This fabric is 54″ wide. I was barely able to cut enough for two cushions side-by-side. Your sides only need to be long enough to meet each other in the middle with a 1/4″ seam allowance for both top and bottom.

You’ll want them snug so they lay nicely!

  • Pin Fabric

Next, with right sides together (back of fabric facing out), I pinned the side seam on both sides:

  • Time to Sew

Then, also starting at the folded edge, I sewed straight from folded edge to the open edge on both sides:

I’m not sure why I bothered pinning it all the way. After about a third of the way, I took out the rest of the pins and followed the line of the fabric. (See why stripes are the way to go?)

Next you’ll need to put your cover back on the cushion (still inside out) and put a pin on each front corner like the photo below, where the corner of the cushion beneath stops:

You will sew along this line to create your front boxed corners. Remove the cover and sew those seams:

Here’s your corner seam after sewing, both inside-out and right-side out:

You can trim the extra fabric, but I didn’t bother. I didn’t reinforce my seams either because I don’t plan on removing them to wash them. I’ll just make new ones again when these have had it.

Insert your cushion again and tada! Perfect!

Just look at that beautiful corner! And you can barely make out the side seam because of the stripes!

  • Stitch the new cover closed

To finish off the back of the cushion, fold it like you’re wrapping a present:

And hand sew it up:

Here’s to another fabulous year!

My pillows got a makeover too…

Before:

Ahh…

Oh how we love the after:

So new!! (But we know better!!)

I wasn’t crazy about the stripe at first because I used a stripe last year. I really wanted to use the geometric fabric I used on the pillow for the cushions, but there were only two yards left on the bolt.

The stripe is so classic, though and it is really easy to sew with, so I’m happy with how it turned out!

It took me almost eight yards to cover all the cushions. That includes a total of eight cushions.

That’s approximately one yard (54″ wide) per cushion, but I was able to cut two side-by-side in my fabric. These are quite thick so you should be able to do the same.

This is only part one of my sew-easy outdoor cushion lesson.

I kick it up a notch with our settee cushion covers.

Here’s a sneak peak:

I’m sharing those in a separate post HERE.

And here is another set I updated more recently:

See more of this set HERE!

Here are a few more outdoor posts you might like:

DIY Umbrella Planter

Cheap Planter Update and my Favorite Filler

DIY Standing Outdoor Plant Hanger

Good luck…you can do it!

XOXO,

Don’t Miss a Thing!

If you like what you see, there are several ways to follow along!

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This post was last modified on 23/10/2023 14:46

James marcus

Garden Courte is a blog written by [James Marcus], a passionate gardener and writer. She has been gardening for over 20 years and has a deep understanding of plants and how to care for them. In her blog, she shares her knowledge and experience with others, providing tips and advice on gardening, plant care, and more.

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Published by
James marcus

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