For best work pouy cart cushions should be covered with all-wool cloth; for hard wear, a French carpet or Oxford cord may be found suitable; whilst American cloth is used for the cheaper kinds of cushions. An ordinary square cushion is made up of a top, bottom, two sides, and two ends, and is about 3 in. deep. In marking out the size, allowance must be made for the seams at the top and bottom corners. Before sewing the sides and top together, make some seaming lace, which is sold without the cord worked in; the seaming cord is tacked into the lace, the tag of which is worked, in when sewing the cushion together, so that the pipe formed by the cord covers the seam. The cushion is made wrong side out, and is stitched round at the top and nearly round at the bottom edge, a space of about Gin. being left undone for stuffing. Turn the cushion right side out, and fasten it, bottom downwards, on a bench with a tab and garnish awl or nail at each corner, and proceed with the stuffing. For best work, good white curled horsehair is used; and for inferior work, cotton waste or flock, alva, or cocoa fibre.

Practice is required to get the stuffing fairly even and equal, for which purpose a stick, about 2ft. 6in. long by lin.wide and 3/8in. thick, tapered off to |in. thick at the tip, is used; a small notch should be cut in the top of the stick with which to carry along the hair. After the cushion is filled, sew up the space in the sides and set it all well down with the palm of the hand, striking the cushion smartly all over. To put in the buttons or tufts, mark the position of each button with a compass and piece of chalk on the top of the cushion; string sufficient buttons for the job, leaving the strings long enough to handle and tie up on the bottom; put the strings through the eye of a quilting needle, and push the latter through square from the top; make a hole across some buttons on the inner or cloth side, lace the ends of the strings which came through the cushion through these buttons for the bottom, and tie down tight and close, so that the knot of the twine is hidden beneath the button. In cutting off the ends, be careful not to cut the material or the twine higher up. Treat the remaining buttons in a similar manner, taking care to tie them all down alike.

The tools required are scissors, needles for sewing, a quilting needle, a stuffing stick, a 3-ft. rule or tape measure, and a knife. Cloth is supplied in 56-in. and 60-in. widths, French carpets in 36-in. widths.