Introduction: DIY: Mock Tufting

About: Furniture, fabric, architecture, building, painting. I specialize in upholstery design, restyling, repurposing and writing all about upholstery. I teach loads of upholstery classes all week long and also teac…
This is an easy answer to an annoying problem: back cushions that get all slouchy and are scrunched down after someone gets up. It also gives plain cushions an updated, restyled look

Step 1: Measure and Mark

The things you'll need to transform your cushions:
twine
chalk
ruler
long, straight upholstery needle
scissors

Step 2: Measure and Mark

First of all, fluff and distribute stuffing evenly within the cushion to be tufted. Next, measure and mark where you want your tufts to be on your cushion.

Step 3: Thread Needle

Thread a pieice of 18" twine through the long needle.

Step 4: Twine Tufting Technique

Holding one end of the twine, push needle through cushion at marked location and out through other side. Re-thread needle with the twine end from the front side of the cushion.

Step 5: The Key

The key to NOT having your fabric pull too much is to re-thread the needle and push it through at a distance of approximately 1/2" at a diagonal from where you first insert was made.

Step 6: Pull

Pull twine firmly, but not too tightly. You can see that the weave is pulled a little too tightly here. It needs to be loosened a little bit. Tie it off and cut excess twine off.

Step 7: Before

This is the before shot of the cushions. They weren't bad but the tufting added some nice detail and the cushion innards stay put.