How to Make a Window Seat Cushion With a Stapler

Make a cushion to fit any type of window seat.

Turn your window seat into a comfortable bench. Lots of natural light makes a window seat the perfect spot for reading. Cover your cushion with fabric that matches your curtains for a traditional look or choose a reverse print for a sophisticated look. If you do not have matching fabric, cover the cushion with a solid color that matches one of the colors in the print of the curtains. For a shabby chic look, use three prints in the same colors, but different in scale, the largest on the cushion, the next on the valance and the last for the curtains.

Things You'll Need

• Plywood
• Saw
• Sandpaper
• 1-inch foam or thick quilt batting
• Fabric
• Staple gun
• Staples
• Twill tape or felt
• Glue gun

Instructions

1. Lay a large sheet of paper on the window seat and trace around the edge of the seat to make a pattern.

2. Cut a piece of quarter-inch plywood to fit the window seat using the pattern you made. Sand the edges of the plywood until they are smooth.

3. Cut a piece of thick quilt batting or 1-inch-thick foam rubber to fit on top of the plywood, using the pattern you made.

4. Lay your fabric out on the floor face down. Center the foam rubber or batting on top of the fabric. Lay the plywood on the foam or batting with all the edges even.

5. Cut around the fabric approximately 3 inches from the edge of the wood.

6. Wrap one of the longer edges of the fabric over the wood and staple it down 1 inch from the edge. Start in the middle and staple every inch down the edge until you are 1 inch from the corner. Repeat on the other side of the center.

7. Wrap and staple the opposite side in the same way. Pull the fabric tightly when you wrap it around.

8. Wrap and staple the other sides in the same way.

9. Fold the fabric on the corners in at a 45-degree angle, pulling them tightly. Staple them down.

10. Miter the remaining fabric on the corners by making several small pleats between the staples. Staple down these pleats. Trim off any excess fabric.

11. Glue twill tape over the rows of staples to prevent them from scratching your window seat or glue a piece of felt over the bottom of the cushion. Trim the edges of the felt to a half inch in from the edge so the felt does not show.

Tips & Warnings

• If your seat has a curved side, staple the straight side first. Pull the fabric toward the center of the cushion as you staple around the curve.