Sewing for Upholstery: Cushions, Piping, Covers and Hand Stitching

Sewing and covering go hand in hand. Many upholstery projects need work at the sewing machine before anything goes on the chair: cushion covers, seat panels, piped seams. And some seams are sewn by hand, directly on the piece. The quality of the sewing directly affects the quality of the finished piece: a badly sewn cushion cover will never sit right, however well the padding underneath was built.

Sewing in upholstery is not fashion sewing. It is about precision, durability and volume: you are building three-dimensional shapes that hold under tension and last for years. This page gives you an overview of every sewing technique and links to the full step-by-step tutorials inside the membership.

Before you start: check that your machine can sew through several thick layers with the perfect sewing machine for upholstery, choose your fabric with the upholstery fabric guide, and look up any unfamiliar word in the upholstery glossary.

On this page: Cushions · Piping · Loose covers · Hand sewing · Top stitching · Buttons · FAQ

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Cushion Covers and Seat Cushions

A well-made cushion cover is harder than it looks. The fit needs to be precise, the corners clean, and the zip positioned and sewn so that it disappears into the overall look. Too loose and the cushion looks sloppy. Too tight and it won’t go on without a fight, or will split at the seams within months.

How to sew a simple cushion cover

• How to sew a simple inside cushion
• 9 steps to sew a decorative cushion with a piping cord

How to sew a box cushion

The box cushion is one of the basic sewing skills you need for many seat cushions. In this example, a box cushion with Velcro underneath for a wooden bench.

• 7 sewing tips for professional results (bench box cushion)
• How to stitch a T-cushion
• Mock cushion stool cover

How to make a seat cushion pattern

A seat cushion that fits inside the frame of a chair, like on a bergère or a club chair, starts with an exact pattern: there are constraints on all sides, which makes the cutting and sewing more precise than for a standard square cushion.

What goes inside: feather and foam cushions

A feather cushion needs a specific internal construction to stop the feathers escaping and keep its shape: the sewing is as much about containment as it is about finish. Foam cushions have their own tricks, to round the edges or to get a softer, feather-like feel.

• How to create a feather-like foam cushion
• How to make a foam cushion with round edges
• How to create a perfect 3-layer foam seat cushion

Modern cushion chair

On a modern cushioned chair, the cover construction and the chair covering work together as one process.

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How to Make and Sew Piping

Piping instantly elevates a cushion or a chair. It defines edges, adds structure and signals quality, but only when it is sewn correctly. Uneven piping, a badly joined cord or a corner that pulls the wrong way draws the eye for all the wrong reasons. Discover why it matters in the power of piping.

• How to start attaching piping, cording or welting
• How to attach braid or double piping

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Loose Covers

Loose covers are a world of their own: fitted, removable covers that need to follow the shape of the piece without looking baggy or sliding around. The sewing is precise and unforgiving, and a few professional habits make the whole process easier and more consistent.

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Hand Sewing in Upholstery

Hand sewing is an essential skill: for closing backs, for repairs, for adjustments, and anywhere a machine can’t reach. A clean, even stitch that disappears into the fabric takes a little practice, then becomes completely natural. Start with the basics in how to hand sew.

Invisible stitching

Invisible stitching joins two pieces of fabric edge to edge, directly on the piece, with no visible fixing. It’s the stitch used to close the outside back of a chair, or to sew large pleats on a seat front. The fabric is pinned, trimmed, folded under itself, then sewn by hand.

• How to finish a round stool with a simple piping (blind stitch by hand)

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Top Stitching

Top stitching is a finishing stitch, sewn by machine after a first seam that has joined two pieces of fabric or leather. It runs alongside the seam, on the visible side, and gives a clean, modern, decorative look.

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Buttons

Knotting a button properly makes a real difference to the finished look, and it’s easier to get wrong than most people expect. A badly knotted button works loose, pulls unevenly, or creates tension across the fabric that was never intended.

• How to knot a button properly, with my apprentice

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Sewing: Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a special sewing machine for upholstery?

A standard domestic machine struggles with thick upholstery fabrics, piping and several layers. A machine with a walking foot, or an industrial machine, makes a real difference. See the perfect sewing machine for upholstery before buying.

Do I need a piping foot?

No. A standard single foot works perfectly well to make piping: you don’t need the special foot with a groove underneath. See how to make upholstery piping.

Should piping be cut on the bias?

That’s what the books say, but in practice we rarely do it: with fabrics that cost more than €220 a metre, cutting on the bias wastes too much. I cut piping along the length of the fabric, and only on the bias when there’s no other choice, mostly with satin-type fabrics.

What is the difference between top stitching and invisible stitching?

Top stitching is a visible, decorative machine stitch, sewn after a first seam. Invisible stitching is sewn by hand, directly on the piece, to join two pieces of fabric edge to edge without any visible fixing, for example to close the outside back of a chair.

How do I sew velvet?

Always sew in the same direction as the pile. Sewing against the pile is much harder: the fabric resists and slides under the foot.

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What Comes Next?

See all the steps in Guide 2: Core Upholstery Techniques, or complete sewn projects in Guide 3.

All of these techniques, and many more, are available in full detail inside the Hammer Club. Every tutorial is filmed step by step in my workshop, on real pieces, so you can follow along at your own pace, pause, rewind, and come back whenever you need a refresher.