How to Make Comfortable Couch Cushions

The Easiest Method

• 1

  Examine your cushions for a zipper or back seam.

• 2

  Unzip the cover or use a seam ripper to cut the seams. Insert the seam ripper into the seam and push the "hook" of the ripper until it touches a stitch. Press against the stitch and the "hook" will cut it. Remove the stitching along the back seam. Remove about 10 inches of stitches if your cushion has a soft filler, or enough stitches to remove a foam insert.

• 3

  Purchase polyester fiberfill, cotton fiberfill, shredded foam or shredded sponge. About five to ten pounds per cushion is usually enough.

• 4

  Grab handfuls of fiberfill, foam or sponge. Insert the materials through the cushion opening. If you have a cushion with a soft filler, leave the filler in place and add to or remove the filler for each cushion until it feels comfortable when you sit on it.

• 5

  Continue to stuff the new filler inside the cushion, periodically sitting on or leaning against the cushion until it feels comfortable.

• 6

  Zip the cushion closed or resew the back seam with a needle and button or upholstery thread. A tight whipstitch will hold the seam sufficiently.

Cut to Fit Foam or Sponge Cushion Revitalization

• 7

  Remove the cushion covers from the filler insert by unzipping or removing the seams with a seam ripper (see Section 1, Step 2).

• 8

  Measure each cushion cover. Measure the width, length and gusset width of each cover. When the cover is on the cushion, the gusset width may be thought of as height rather than width. Strips of fabric along the four sides of a cushion that create a "box" effect are called welts or gussets.

• 9

  Determine what foam or sponge you want to use. Fabric and upholstery stores sell foam and sponge. Online cushion replacement retailers sell foam and sponge in large sizes so you can cut the material to fit several cushions.

• 10

  Determine the amount of foam or sponge to purchase based on your cushion-cover measurements.

• 11

  Place the old couch cushion on top of the new foam or sponge. Trace around the old insert with a marker. The tracing will be slightly larger than the old insert, but the new material will eventually be compressed.

• 12

  Cut just outside of the tracing lines with long-handled scissors or a carpet knife.

• 13

  Insert the new cushion inserts into the cushion covers. The foam/sponge might be tighter because the material is new, but you don't want the cushion cover seams to strain. Remove the foam/sponge and trim it smaller. Zip or whipstitch the cushion cover closed.