How to Make a Cushion Cover With a Zip: An Easy Step-by-Step Guide

Updated October 2026 · By Sam K, Fabrica Kraft

Quick answer: For a 45 cm cushion, cut a 48 × 48 cm front and two 48 × 25.5 cm back pieces, using a 1.5 cm seam allowance. Join the back pieces along one long edge, leaving a gap in the middle for a 35 cm zip, and stitch the zip in with a zipper foot. Open the zip halfway, sew the back to the front with right sides together, clip the corners and turn it out. It takes about an hour, and you'll need around half a metre of fabric.

Making your own cushion covers is a lovely way to use a fabric you've fallen for, match a room exactly or refresh a tired sofa for very little money. Adding a zip feels like the scary part, but on a cushion it's one of the easiest zips you'll ever sew. This guide covers two methods, a cutting chart in centimetres, and the small tricks that make a homemade cover look shop-bought.

What you'll need

• Fabric: about 0.5 m of medium-weight furnishing fabric, cotton, linen or velvet. Thin dress fabrics crease and pull around the zip.
• A zip: a standard dress zip or a concealed (invisible) zip, about 10 cm shorter than the cushion width.
• A cushion pad (insert)
• Thread to match your fabric
• A sewing machine and a zipper foot
• Fabric scissors, pins or clips, a tape measure and tailor's chalk
• An iron

You'll find zips, cushion pads and zipper feet at any haberdashery.

Which zip method should you use?

We'll start with the back zip, then explain the bottom-edge version.

Cutting chart (1.5 cm seam allowance)

For any other size: front = finished size + 3 cm each way. Each back piece = finished width + 3 cm, by half the finished height + 3 cm. For a bottom-edge zip, cut two pieces the same size as the front instead.

If your fabric has a pattern, centre the motif on the front before you cut. Wash and press washable fabrics before cutting, in case they shrink.

Method 1: Back zip, step by step

1. Neaten the edges. Zigzag or overlock one long edge of each back piece.
2. Mark the zip. Place the back pieces right sides together. Lay the zip along the neatened edge and chalk where the teeth begin and end.
3. Sew the seam. Use a normal stitch from each end to the chalk marks, backstitching. Between the marks, use your longest stitch. This temporary tacking holds the gap closed while you fit the zip.
4. Press the seam open.
5. Fit the zip. On the wrong side, lay the zip face down with the teeth right on the seam. Pin or hand-tack it.
6. Stitch it in. With the zipper foot, sew around the zip from the right side, about 7 mm from the seam, pivoting at each end.
7. Unpick the tacking over the zip. Check that it opens.
8. Open the zip halfway. Don't skip this.
9. Join front and back. Place them right sides together, trim the back to match, pin and sew all four sides with a 1.5 cm seam.
10. Finish. Zigzag the raw edges, clip the corners close to the stitching, turn through and press.

This is the method set out in The Dreamstress's well-known zip-back cushion tutorial, and it's the most reliable way for beginners to get a neat zip.

Method 2: Bottom-edge zip

1. Cut two pieces the same size as the front.
2. Neaten the bottom edge of both.
3. Place them right sides together and sew 2 to 3 cm in from each end of the bottom edge, leaving the middle open for the zip.
4. Press the seam allowances back along the full edge.
5. Pin the zip under the opening and stitch it in with a zipper foot, first along one side, then the other. A concealed zip and concealed zip foot give the neatest finish.
6. Open the zip halfway, then sew the remaining three sides, clip the corners and turn out.

Tips for a professional finish

• Press every seam. It makes more difference than anything else.
• Clip the corners and push them out with a chopstick for sharp points.
• Taper the corners slightly (sew about 5 mm in at each corner point) to stop "dog ears" on a plump cushion.
• Size up the pad. For feather pads, use one about 5 cm bigger than the cover. For hollowfibre pads, the same size or a few centimetres bigger.
• Add piping for a tailored edge, sewn to the front before you join the back.

Common mistakes

DIY or made to measure?

Sewing is perfect for a handful of standard scatter cushions. Made-to-measure is easier when you need unusual sizes, long bolsters, a set that matches exactly, or covers in performance fabrics for garden furniture that has to cope with British weather.

We make cushion covers to your exact size, with a zip, in Sunbrella, Warwick and velvet fabrics. You can order covers only or with a micro-fibre fill. Browse scatter cushions, velvet cushions, or custom cushion covers for seat, bench and garden cushions. Need help with sizing? See how to measure cushions in cm. Delivery is free across the UK, with import duty and VAT already paid.

Choosing colours for your new covers? Our guide on what colour cushions go with a grey sofa has nine combinations that work.

Frequently asked questions

How much fabric do I need for a cushion cover?

About half a metre makes one 45 or 50 cm cover. Allow more for pattern matching or piping.

What size zip for a 45 cm cushion?

A 35 cm zip, about 10 cm shorter than the cushion width.

Do I need a zipper foot?

It makes the job much easier, because it lets you stitch close to the zip teeth. Most machines come with one.

Can you make a cushion cover without a zip?

Yes. An envelope back, made of two overlapping pieces, needs no zip at all. It's quicker but can gape on a full pad.

What size cushion pad for a 45 cm cover?

A 50 cm feather pad gives a full, plump look. A 45 cm hollowfibre pad also works well.

Sources

• The Dreamstress: How to make a simple zip-back cushion cover