How I Made Bench Cushions for Our Camper Van Bed

A while ago, we got a camper van to go on road trips. And I made some DIY bench cushions for it.

We had cut mattresses to fit the benches that fold into the bed. So I made custom-fitting covers for them.

I’ll tell you all about the materials, the process and how I made them, and share personal photos. This might give you ideas to make your own! 

Bench Cushions Plans

The closest you might get to finding cushions to fit a camper van is by looking for bench cushion instructions. 

I also looked up box cushions and couch cushions. After looking at all the options, I got ideas for making mine.

The first thing I needed to do was draft my plans. This includes making a drawing and writing out the measurements of the cut-up mattress foams we used.

The biggest cushions measured 73 inches long, 23 inches wide, and 6 inches high. 

I added 1/2-inch (0.5-inch) seam allowances. In total, I’d make four cushions.

We needed two for the back and two for the seat. These would all lie flat when sleeping. 

The back sides of the smaller cushions had a slope. So, I made an angle on the side measurements.

Materials

Besides the regular tools I use daily, I had to buy foam, outdoor fabric, cording, and order zippers. This was a more involved project.

Foam

This was the one material that took us the longest to find. For any cushion or pillow you make, you’ll need the stuffing or a form that goes inside the covers. 

You might be able to buy smaller foams from a sewing and craft store. Before Joann went out of business, we went there, but they only had smaller ones.

We also checked companies that made them, but didn’t find what we were looking for. So, we purchased memory foam mattresses online and cut them up.

Outdoor Fabric

We bought outdoor cotton fabric from Joann, but they’re no longer in business. It’s more heavyweight and almost feels like canvas. 

There was a lot of this fabric in stock at the time. They had so many nice colors and designs to choose from, too. 

The one we chose had a design that matched the interior colors. We decided on cotton because we wanted to wash it.

I had never bought so much fabric in my life. It was like we bought bolts of this stuff!

Long Zippers

I ordered extra-long zippers because Joann didn’t have them. Since we’d sit and sleep on these cushions, I got heavy-duty nylon zippers instead of metal. 

These are the longest zippers I’ve had to sew. I made sure to test them out. You’ll want to do that with all zippers.

Cotton Cord

Piping cord comes in many sizes, and I had to decide which size to buy. I don’t sew many projects with piping.

So, I studied the construction of my store-bought couch cushions. Then I watched videos on making home decor items. 

I knew the cushions needed piping. So, I bought 4/25-inch (0.16-inch) cotton cord for the piping.

Joann sold piping cord by the yard, but it was expensive. So we went to the craft section and got 400 feet of craft cord for cheaper.

Piping welt cord is a bit more durable. However, the craft cord worked very well for my project.

Snaps

I used small snaps for the closures on the inside pockets. These were not planned out in the beginning, and I added them later on.

Needle

The cotton fabric was heavy, so I used a size 100/16 universal needle. And by the way, I went through a few needles. Ugh!

Thread

For general sewing, I used matching Gutermann universal thread made of 100% polyester.

By the way, I used five 275-yard spools of this stuff. I should have just bought a 1,000-yard spool of thread online.

To serge the seams, I used Maxi-Lock serger spun thread. It’s for overlocking and made of polyester.

Sewing My Bench Cushions

I ran into a few problems with this project, and it wasn’t fun dealing with them. Don’t you like it when things flow smoothly?

Prepping

First things first. I had to wash my fabric, and I dried it on high heat.

I wanted it to shrink as much as possible before sewing. Then I ironed the fabric with high heat.

My cutting table is nowhere near the size I needed for this project. So I had to prep and cut on my cutting table and on the floor.

I had to cut 28 pattern pieces. Hours later, when I finished cutting, I realized I needed more fabric. 

I forgot to include the piping strips! There wasn’t even enough extra fabric to sew together to improvise.

Don’t you hate running out of fabric in the middle of your sewing project? Ugh!

So I returned to the store. Luckily, they had two yards of this fabric left. It was just enough!

Construction

For ideas, I had watched enough videos from people who seemed like pros. I didn’t follow one particular method, though.

I started with the sides that I’d put a zipper on. This was the easy part, and I like zippers.

I centered them on what would be the back side of the cushion. With the overlap and positioning, they wouldn’t show.

Then, I sewed the sides together and serged the seams. This fabric unravels a lot, and I didn’t want stray threads all over when washing it. 

On a side note, serging this fabric sure kicked up lint. Since it was cotton, my allergies weren’t too bad.

I made sure to topstitch all seams. You want to do this with heavy fabric.

Next came the strips that I cut for the piping. I joined the shorter pieces together on a diagonal.

Then I folded the strip in half and basted the cording inside. 

The most tenuous part was sewing the top and bottom pieces. I sandwiched the piping between them before attaching the sides.

That took a long time because the strips were long and the fabric was heavy. I tightened the piping around the corners to make it look nice. 

I did this by basting all the fabric together first. Then I stitched the seams together, going around the corners as close as possible.

Adjustments

My sewing table never has enough room. Since I don’t have the space for bigger tables, I mainly worked off the floor.

I created space to lay out all this fabric, but I felt like I needed a basketball court for this project! And this was an adjustment in itself.

Though I followed my sewing plans, I made a few mistakes. 

I didn’t cut one side correctly! I wondered why it seemed off! Ugh!

So I had to seam-rip one whole cushion and start all over again. I had already sewn it with the piping. That’s because there was a zipper and I had to re-center it.

Let me tell you… The resewing gave me a headache! 

I took all the precautions by measuring twice, cutting once. I basted seams before sewing. And there was oh so much basting involved.

But still, to err is human, right? No matter how advanced I get in sewing, I make mistakes.

Finishing Touches

I ended up making some little pockets inside the cushion covers. When we tried them on the bench, they would slip off.

So, we put magnets inside the pockets so the cushions stay put while driving. These pockets were the smallest I’ve ever made!

I also made a matching tote bag with the leftover fabric. And I really liked it!

Unfortunately, it burned in the wildfires. But the camper van and cushions survived.

Project Notes

Watching videos on how other people were making cushions was helpful. There are many free videos online.

Also, having my drawings and notes was critical. This might not be your process, but I don’t know how I could’ve done this without.

Big projects like this will take time. It took me days to finish, but I kept taking breaks.

Final Thoughts

I completed my quest to make bench cushions, and I’m happy with them. They took forever to make, but I finished.

To date, they are durable and have lasted us through many adventures. And I can’t deny that I feel proud of this achievement!

More Sewing Projects

I have more related posts that might interest you. You might want to check them out.

• What about a nice travel sewing kit for those quick fixes on the go? 

• Did you have a small hole in your clothes or fabric? I’ll show you how to fix it without sewing.

• Do you have a lot of unfinished sewing projects like I do?

I’d love to know what you’re up to in your sewing room!

Originally published: August 12, 2024