Different Types of Polyester Wraps around a Foam Core

The most basic cushion construction is a foam core with a polyester wrap. The foam provides the support and lines up with the seams in the depth, width and boxing of the cushion. Foam is cut with a straight blade and is perfectly flat on all sides. It is difficult to have a cover be tight and wrinkle-free on a flat surface. To aid in the fit and to soften the appearance of the foam, we wrap it with polyester (and down/feather, but that is for another entry). The polyester pushes out against the cover which tightens it and eliminates wrinkles. Below is a discussion of two types of polyester wrap.

High Density foam w/ Dacron wrap, muslin tick

With use, all foam gets softer and all polyester flattens. High Density foam, which is available in five levels of firmness, resists softening the best. The best option for wrapping the foam is with Dacron. It's springy fiber stays fluffy and resists flattening best out of all the polyester battings. To hold everything in place we make a muslin lined jacket out of the Dacron and the foam core fits inside. The jacket is closed with a zipper at the back.

High Density Foam w/ bonded wrap, glued, no lining

Bonded polyester is the easiest, quickest batting to work with. It is cut to size and glued to the surface of the foam. Bonded polyester has the least amount of resiliency and will flatten the quickest. We have 4 different weights (thicknesses) of bonded polyester to choose from: 1/2 oz. , 3/4 oz., & 1 1/4 oz.

AMY TRACHTENBERG - Covered in Sky

Recently the artist Amy Trachtenberg has been digging her way through our mountains of foam scraps and retired cushions.  For weeks she's hauled away bags and bags of materials.  She said that the sculpture had to go higher, that the ceiling at the gallery needed to be reached.  We couldn't imagine what she was making.  Finally the monumental sculpture will be revealed at her new show titled Covered in Sky going up this weekend at the at the Luggage Store (June 14 through July 13, 2019).  We deal with piles of used cushion foam daily and it is as an ongoing challenge to keep it from swallowing up our work area.  We cut it up, bag it and send it off to be recycled into carpet padding.  Seeing how the the materials are reconfigured by Amy gives them a magical, if maybe a little ominous, presence.

Standing on One Leg Swallowing the Mountain of Appearances

Steel cart, foam rubber, twine, jute, nylon, leather, plastic belts and shoes

San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2019

One of our favorite rooms at this year's San Francisco Decorator Showcase was the gorgeous Wo-Man Cave designed by Kelly Hola Interiors (photos by John Merkl).  Our eyes were naturally drawn to the array of beautiful pillows which were fabricated by the always amazing Leong Interiors (with inserts by Cushion Works, naturally).  This room was previously a storage space for chairs and bric-a-brac from the neighboring ballroom. The transformation to elegant Wo-Man Cave was amazing.

Curving Wedges

A recent project called for several wedge back cushions to follow the gentle curve of a built in bench. 

Recycling Foam

It's time to recycle all of the old cushion foam and off cuts.  These bags contain cut down foam that will go to the foam plant to be shredded, re-bonded, and sliced to make carpet pad.  

Slim, Sculpted Floor Seating

We were recently presented with some very pretty round covers with a knife edge (knife edge is two pieces of fabric sewn together, like a bed pillow) and asked to make very firm inserts so that the client could use them as floor cushions.  Unlike a sofa cushion which has a boxing panel sewn in which allows for the blockiness of a foam core, a knife edge seam doesn't fit a foam insert.  Our solution was to shave down the edge of the foam to make it sharp which will neatly fit with the cover's seam.  We then wrapped the foam with polyester which softens further the shape of the foam and takes the slack out of the fabric, tightening it and removing wrinkles.  Once the inserts are installed in the covers, a full, firm insert is ready for the home.

Die Cut Foam

We just provided a client with 7,000 pieces of die cut foam to be used in packaging their liquid filled flasks for shipping.  They needed a charcoal gray foam that would have 12 round holes that went all the way through the foam.  We had a sample made for approval, made a slight adjustment on the diameter of the hole and put the job into production.  The pieces were delivered and the product was received in time for Holiday shipping.

A phone call leads to a sketch.  Close but not quite right.

A 3-D illustration helps everyone to visualize the end product. 

We cut one sample for approval.  The diameter of the holes was a little too small.

The final product held the snugly fit the flasks.