New Interior Cushions

[Bolo]

Wow nice work Bob! My daughter’s boyfriend is enrolled in a practical textiles course and he’s doing a lot of sewing. I know it’s not easy!

He wants to get into clothing but maybe he should focus on boat cushions - it sounds like a pretty lucrative field.

Actually I’m getting a lot of enjoyment and hands on knowledge out of it. It was confusing and mysterious at first, sewing, but so was sailing before I took my first lesson many years ago. The one advantage I do have it that my first career was working as a draftsman which I went to trade school to learn while I was trying to figure out what college to go to and what to do for the rest of my life. I finally settled on commercial photography but that a story for another time and another website. What I did learn as a draftsman was sheet metal layout and that skill has helped me quite a bit when laying out the cushion material prior to cutting. Never discount something you learned in your past because it sometimes becomes very helpful in your present.

 

[Christian Williams]

It's easy to get started if anybody feels the need.

 

[supersailor]

Just another option to throw out. I had 14 cushions saturated in salt water and the insurance money to replace them all. My wife rejected every sample for new cushion fabric. I ended up commercially cleaning the covers and replacing the cushion material. The cushions look great and I can see why Ericson went with the blue with gold accents.

 

[Christian Williams]

if the reference is to the remarkable original Ericson fabric, whatever it was called, the closest match I could find was Sunbrella interior marine fabric “Indigo Bubble".

Not exact, but close enough for repairs.

 

[AlanO]

I've been toying with the idea of getting a SailRite sewing machine for awhile now so I could learn to do canvas work and sail repair. Bob's excellent cushion project provides even more DIY incentive. My wife and I both dislike the cushions on Gravlax because the foam doesn't have much bounce anymore and the formerly fashionable buttons that still remain are awful. I'm also not fond of the single huge cushion in the aft berth that makes access below the berth a PITA. Replacing the cushions is on the list, but low down because of other priorities and cost. Maybe I'll take the plunge next winter!

 

[Loren Beach]

I'm also not fond of the single huge cushion in the aft berth that makes access below the berth a PITA.

Very Familiar problem. It must have been a sewing method used at the EY upholstery shop. The aft cabin berth on our Olson was one huge cushion that had to folded in half just to move it in or out of the boat. When we had all the cushions re-foamed in 1995, we had that piece split into two parts. Each part is still a bit unwieldily but can be moved around without bending it. Also, having a way to move aside the inside piece lets us access the lid over the shaft log.

 

[Bolo]

Part Two of making interior cushions for my boat. Done, installed, new skill and lessons learned.

 

[Nick J]

Just saw this and it made me think of this thread

Adam Savage's Tested on Instagram: "#AdamSavage has some thoughts about #sewing. Do you agree? Full one day apron repair video on YouTube.com/Tested #makers #sewingmachine #sewingproject"

229K likes, 3,917 comments - testedcom on April 22, 2026: "#AdamSavage has some thoughts about #sewing. Do you agree? Full one day apron repair video on YouTube.com/Tested #makers #sewingmachine #sewingproject".

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