How to Make a Papasan Chair Cushion

Co-authored by Lois Wade

Last Updated: November 18, 2024 Approved

Do you have an old papasan or "satellite dish" chair with a ratty (or entirely missing!) cushion? There's no need to buy a new one! You can replace it by making a new one out of a few old bed pillows and some heavy cloth. See Step 1 to get started.

Steps

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1
Acquire a papasan chair frame if you don't already have one.
2
Dig all those old pillows out of your closet or garage and launder them. Remove the pillow slips and pillow covers. Cut the pillows diagonally to form wedges.

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3
Place 6-8 of your half-pillow wedges on the chair seat, arranging them until all of the rattan frame is thickly covered. This could take anywhere from 6 to 10 pillow wedges (3-5 old pillows) depending on their thickness and the number of times they've been washed previously.
4
Lay the wedges on two large pieces of cloth for the cover. (You should cut both sides at the same time, as they'll be sewn together later to make the cover.) Be certain your area is flat. The floor works well. Trim the edges of the wedges to make the outer edge smooth and round.
5
Cut the two layers of material around the pillow wedges, leaving approximately a two-inch margin.
6
Fold the resulting circles in half, and then in half again and once again to get one eighth of a circle. Trim the edges again to ensure that you have as close to a perfect circle as possible.
7
Sew the perimeters of the two cloth circles together, leaving two feet of opening for stuffing.
8
Turn and stuff by placing your pillow wedges snugly inside.
9
Sew through the entire thickness and tie off snugly approximately every 12 inches (30.5 cm). Do this between each pillow wedge for easier poke through and tie off.^{[1]
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10
Hand baste the opening closed with raw edges to the inside of the pillow. Machine stitch the opening closed and voilà! A "new" cushion for your papasan that cost you little or nothing in "out of pocket" expense!

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Question

What material is the best to use?

Community Answer

Any upholstery fabric or utility fabric such as canvas or duck cloth will work. Standard fabrics are not designed for heavy use. It is possible to use regular fabrics if you apply heavy weight interfacing to the back, but it will not last as long as utility/upholstery fabrics.

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Tips

You may or may not choose to use buttons on each side of the cushion as you tie off, but using buttons helps prevent the cover from tearing.

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You can make a slipcover out of heavy cloth for easy cleaning.

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Warnings

These covers attract dust very quickly, so take caution if you have allergies.

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Do not use feather-stuffed pillows. When you cut these open, instead of getting a lump of cushion material you can cut diagonally, you get a large cloud of downy feathers!

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Things You'll Need

Papasan chair frame and base
3-5 old pillows
Approximately 4 yards / 3.6 meters of 60" / 1.5 meters wide new or used sturdy sheeting material.
Sewing machine
Scissors
Thread
Embroidery floss or other heavy thread
Largish flat buttons
Optional - zipper or Velcro fastener and heavy twill for a cushion cover.