Learn How to Sew Stackable Floor Cushions

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Raise your hand if you ever had people over and needed more places for them to sit! We’ve all been there. Learn how to seat them comfortably, easily and stylishly with this stackable floor cushion tutorial by Spoonflower Ambassador Tracey Hairston using Belgian Linen.

Featured designs on stackable floor cushions: Silhouette Peony Cream on Black by @danikaherrick and KIAH DENIM RUST by holli_zollinger

Tracey: I have a confession—sewing has never been my favorite thing to do. Growing up I used to watch my mother create these beautiful pieces of clothing and home decor for our family. But I never put much stock into the hard work she put in to create pieces of magic; I just knew they looked good.

After doing plenty of research and trial-and-error, I developed this tutorial for the easiest way to make them and I think these cute round cushions turned out great! Here’s how I made them:

For fabric, I decided to go with Belgian Linen, because it’s perfect to use for all home decor projects. It’s durable, luxe and softens over time. For designs, I also chose two prints, one each from two of my favorite creators: (fellow Spoonflower ambassador) Danika Herrick’s design Silhouette Peony Cream on Black and Holli Zollinger’s design KIAH DENIM RUST.

Pattern notes:  

  1. Seam allowance unless otherwise marked: 3/8” (But remember, for this project, you can adjust the seam allowance as needed based on the size cushion you want to make. I personally made a small seam allowance (3/8”) because I was working with a limited amount of fabric. The more fabric you have, the more you allowance you can have for your seam.)

  1. The amount of fabric you will need to order for this project depends on how large your cushions will be! For 18” cushions, I used one yard of Belgian Linen for each cushion.

Material List:

  • 1 yard of Belgian Linen per pillow
  • 1 round template (I used an 18″ pre-cut wood round but you can go as big as you want)
  • Filling for the pillow (I started using shredded foam but eventually used batting from an old pillow to give it more structure)
  • Measuring tape
  • Water-soluble marker
  • Scissors

A round light brown wood round lays on a white surface with a blue graph. A dark pink measuring tape lays placed on top of the wood round. Two large pieces of fabric, one featuring a design with a black background and white peonies and one with a rust background and white squiggly lines throughout, lay at the top of the photograph with a package of fiber filling, some orange-handled scissors and a water-soluble marker.
Tracey uses this 18” (45.72 cm) wood round as a template for her floor cushions.

Step 1. Create Your Cushion Template 

For this project, I used a pre-cut wood round I had on hand as a template for my cushions.

If you don’t have something large enough on hand to make into a template for a cushion, you can create a template from cardboard using the steps provided in This DIY compass tutorial.

Step 2. Cut Out Your Cushion Rounds 

Pro tip: As 1 yard of fabric will make one 18” (45.7 cm) cushion, folding your fabric in half will allow you to only cut out the template one time, cutting the top piece and the bottom piece in one go.

For 18” (46 cm) cushions, measure and trace 18” (46 cm) in diameter on your fabric using your template and a water-soluble marker.

Add a 3/8” (1 cm) seam allowance around the edges of the rounds.

Cut out 2 fabric rounds.

A hand holds a rotary cutter that is slicing through a blue line drawn on the wrong side of fabric as Tracey cuts out her cushion rounds.
Using a rotary cutter to cut out the cushion rounds.

Step 3. Cut Out Your Border 

If you’d like to add a border to your cushions, continue with this step. If you’d like to not add a border, skip down to the next step.

I included a 3” (2.5 cm) border edge just to make it fancy. Your border can be as wide as you’d like.

For a 3” (2.54 cm) border, I used a water-soluble marker to note the 3” (2.5 cm) border edge as a reference and then made another mark 3/8” (1.2 cm) out for the seam allowance. I repeated this for both the top and bottom of the border.

Then I cut a strip 3.75” (9.75 cm) wide, which gave me a 3/8” (1 cm) seam allowance at both the top and bottom of the border, and 18.75” (47.5 cm) long to allow for the circular shape for an 18” (45.7 cm) circle plus a 3/8” (1 cm) seam allowance at the beginning and end of the fabric.

Tracey marks one edge of the border with a blue water-soluble pen. A ruler is at the top of the photo, she is marking the border at the 3” (2.54 cm) mark.
Tracey marks one edge of the border with a water-soluble pen.

Pattern pieces note: At this point, if you choose to make cushions without a border, you should have 2 pieces of fabric cut out, one piece for the top and one piece for the bottom.

If you choose to make cushions with a border, you should have three pieces of fabric cut out, one piece for the top part, one piece for the bottom part and one piece for the cushion border.

Three pieces of fabric featuring a design with a black background and white peonies lay on a white mat with a blue graph. The top of the cushion round is laying wrong side up. The bottom of the cushion round is lying right side up. The border strip of fabric lays to the left of the photo. A small clear box of pins lays at the photo's bottom center.
Tracey’s pattern pieces for the top part of the cushion and the bottom part of the cushion, including the optional border.

Now comes the fun stuff—SEWING!

Step 4. Pin and Sew Pieces Together 

If you’re adding a border, pin the border piece to one of the rounds, wrong side facing up.

Pin and sew each round to the top and bottom of the border leaving a 4” (10.1 cm) to 5” (12.7 cm) opening so you can stuff your cushions with filling.

If you’re not adding a border, pin and sew the rounds together, leaving a 4” (10.1 cm) to 5” (12.7 cm) opening so you can stuff your cushions with filling.

The wrong side of the border strip of fabric is shown pinned to a cushion round so that it can be attached. The fabric is laying on a white mat with a blue graph.
Pinning the optional border to a cushion round.

Step 5. Create Your Closure 

Here’s where you have options, I went with an invisible stitch (also known as a ladder stitch) to close my cushions, but based on your level of sewing, you could also add a zipperVelcro or any other means to close and finish your cushions.

An invisible stitch worked well for me.

In the end, your finished product should be one that you enjoy and that brings life to your space.

So there you have my own stackable floor cushion tutorial! I love how they turned out and if you’re like me and are a little shy about doing something out of your comfort zone, remember what my Mom always told me, “Don’t sweat the small stuff!”

I also complimented this project with an easy project using Spoonflower’s Peel & Stick Woven wallpaper.

I had a vintage wood tray that needed a makeover, so I simply cut to size what I needed to cover the top and that was it! I went with Holli Zollinger’s design GREENWOOD ANIMAL.

A wooden tray sits on a cream coffee table, the design on the tray has a white background and small brown, sage and dark green curved lines. Two tall glasses made out of green glass sit next to an earthenware pitcher.
Featured design on wood tray: GREENWOOD ANIMAL by holli_zollinger
A wooden tray sit on a cream coffee table, the design on the tray has a white background and small brown, sage and dark green curved lines. Two tall glasses made out of green glass sit next to an earthenware pitcher. A sage carpet with a black-and-white geometric squiggle is on the floor. To the left of the coffee table are two stackable floor cushions, one with a black background and white peonies floating throughout and one with a rust background and white squiggly lines throughout.

Floor Cushions Frequently Asked Questions 

What’s the best fabric type to use for floor cushions?
While Tracey used Belgian Linen, you can also use fabrics like Lightweight Cotton Twill or even Recycled Canvas.
What are floor cushions used for?
They are used for many things! They provide extra seating when you have company, can be used for meditation, or in any situation where you need to make sitting on the floor more comfortable (and perhaps more stylish too).
What is a good size for a floor cushion?
The great thing about floor cushions is that you can tailor them to your particular size needs. If you’re looking to make cushions for sitting on, you can start with making a cushion roughly the size of a dining chair. However, as people don’t come in uniform sizes, keep in mind that the sizes of the cushions you’ll need may vary depending on who they are for.

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