DIY Mini Bench Cushion: A Free Pattern for Your Reading Nook Bench

A cozy 5-minute upgrade for your 1:12 scale dollhouse, with a free printable pattern included.

There’s something about a bare wooden bench that just asks for a cushion. If you picked up the Reading Nook Bench from the shop (or you’re just a sucker for a tiny upholstered seat, no judgment), this one’s for you: a free, print-at-home pattern for a soft, tailored cushion that fits it perfectly.

No sewing machine, no seams, no stress. Just foam, fabric, and a little glue.

Why you’ll love this project

This is one of those small details that makes a dollhouse room feel finished. A plain bench reads like furniture. A bench with a soft, fitted cushion reads like somebody lives there. It’s a 15-minute project, it uses scraps you probably already have, and it’s endlessly customizable: swap the fabric and you’ve got a whole new look for the season, the room, or the doll who lives there.

What you’ll need

• 3mm crafting foam
• A fat quarter (or scrap) of quilting cotton or felt
• Fabric glue (dries clear, no sew required)
• Sharp scissors and/or a craft knife with a cutting mat
• The free cutting pattern (linked above), printed at 100% / actual size
• A pencil or fabric marker to trace the pattern

How to make it

1. Cut your pieces.
Print the pattern at 100% / actual size. Don’t let your printer scale it to fit the page, or your cushion won’t fit the bench. Trace and cut one foam piece along the solid line, and one fabric piece along the dashed line. That dashed line adds a 1″ allowance all the way around the foam shape, which is exactly what you’ll need to wrap and glue.

2. Glue the foam to the fabric.
Lay your fabric piece right-side down and center the foam on top, so that 1″ allowance is even all the way around. Glue the foam in place and let it tack up for a minute before you move on.

3. Clip the curves and corners.
This is the step that makes the difference between a cushion that looks store-bought and one that looks homemade (in the frustrating way). Make small snips into the fabric allowance around the inner corners, where the backrest tab meets the seat base. Those little clips let the fabric fold smoothly around the shape instead of bunching or pulling.

4. Wrap and glue the allowance.
Now work your way around the whole shape, folding the fabric allowance over the foam and gluing it down to the back. Pull gently as you go so the front stays smooth and taut; this is where a little patience pays off.

5. Finish the back (optional, but worth it).
For a clean, gift-shop finish, cut a small rectangle of fabric and glue it over the back to hide the raw, folded edges. Nobody will ever check under your dollhouse cushions, but you’ll know it’s there, and it’ll sit flatter on the bench too.

6. Set it in place.
Once the glue is fully dry, nestle your new cushion into the Reading Nook Bench and stand back. That’s it: one more corner of the dollhouse that feels lived-in.

Styling ideas

• Match the room, not just the bench. Pull your fabric from the same palette as your curtains or rug for a pulled-together look.
• Try texture over pattern. A tiny houndstooth or velvet-look fabric reads better at 1:12 scale than a busy print; small-scale patterns can look muddy once they’re cushion-sized.
• Make it seasonal. A quick fabric swap turns the same bench into a cozy reading corner for fall or a breezy little window seat for summer.
• Add a throw. A tiny knit swatch draped over one end of the cushion sells the “someone just got up from reading here” feeling.

Get the free pattern

The printable pattern includes both the foam cutting line and the fabric cutting line (with the 1″ allowance already built in), plus a scale-check square so you can confirm your printer didn’t resize anything before you cut into your materials.

Made one? Tag @linasdollhouseco or drop a photo in the Lina’s Dollhouse Collective. I’d love to see where this little cushion ends up.