French Mattress Cushions

French Mattress Cushions are one of my favorite projects to create, something about the hand stitching is just so relaxing to me. Plus they just make such a beautiful statement in any space.

When ordering a French Mattress style cushion there are several things to consider. I’ve put together this page to show you some of the many options you have to customize your cushion for your space.

Foam thickness

The typical thickness of cushions I make is between 3”to 5”. The thickness will depend on the height of the bench or built-in space you are putting it in. It seems the larger and wider the cushion the better it looks with a thicker height.

Is it going next to a dining table? The optimum seat height at a table is 17”-20”. You will need to take this into consideration when adding a cushion. If it’s a cubby or built-in area, a taller seat height won’t be as big of an issue.

I suggest a good quality high-density foam with a medium firmness. Over time the cushion will get less and less firm looking so I feel it’s best to not start with too soft a foam.

Tufting

There are two options for the tufting detail. You can choose to have a hand-stitched or fabric-covered buttons. If your fabric is a woven or on the thinner side it may be best to use buttons.

The tufting pattern can be in a diamond shape, square, or rectangle. The number of stitches/buttons is up to you. You can have a ton or less depending on your preference.

Note: on French Mattress cushions: As is the nature of a cushion with tufting and a hand-stitched edge, there is an acceptable allowance of plus or minus up to 1/2" of the measurement given. Having made several of this style of cushion I have found that shrinkage will depend on the amount of stretch in the fabric and the number of tufts. I will do my best to be as accurate as possible.

This photo shows a cushion created using 3 1/2” foam. The tufting is done in a square pattern using several buttons.

This photo shows a 3”cushion with a square tufting pattern.

This cushion was the size of a twin mattress! Created with 5” thick foam and tufted in a staggered diamond pattern.