The Making Process: Throw Cushions Part 1

I'm sitting on the floor surrounded by throw cushion inserts, trying to manage my irritation.

As part of developing the throw cushion collection, I have to choose a supplier for the inserts. I researched the different types of fillings, settled on the sizes I wanted, compared costs and narrowed it down to six suppliers to test.

They range from manufacturers to distributors to retailers. The prices vary wildly, with what appears to be absolutely no logic whatsoever.

Four have arrived so far.

Here’s what I’m learning.

1. Apparently, 18" × 18" doesn't necessarily mean 18" × 18”. One company sent an insert with the correct dimensions on the outside, but the filling didn't actually reach the edges. The filling felt great though. Would have been nice if there was more of it. I genuinely feel like they stole from me. And did you know that when you order an 18" × 18" insert, you're generally only being told the length and width? Not the depth. So you can order an 18" × 18" insert from Company A and have it be 1 inch thick, while the same 18" × 18" insert from Company B might be 3 inches thick. I haven't found a supplier that consistently gives the depth, so at the moment it feels like a guessing game.
2. Polyester fiber clearly has different definitions to different suppliers, because why did one insert come with lumpy fillings, almost like foam? I re-checked the order to see if I messed up the order. I did not. And they clearly said polyester fiber filling on the order and on the tag. Upon further investigation, it really was polyester fiber, the fiber just clumped for some reason. I didn’t even know it could do that. I'm now trying to figure out whether polyester fiber can legitimately behave like this or if I just found a supplier whose filling isn't up to scratch.
3. The inserts shipped vacuum sealed don’t all recover well. Some start to fluff back up as soon as you remove them from the bag; others need some help. I’m trying a trick I found online to put them in the dryer on low heat or hang them in the sun to help the fibers recover, so I’ll see how it goes. I will say though, both of the suppliers that vacuum sealed their shipments did an amazing job. Must have been some incredibly powerful vacuums.
4. I’m actually surprisingly picky about the insert covering itself. Someone who was getting a bit tired of me reasoned that it is on the inside of the cushion and no one would see. But I really do think the thickness of the insert cover and its strength do matter to the overall durability of the final cushion. And, if you remove the cushion cover and wash the insert, I’d like it to survive whatever a machine or the weather can throw at it and be good as new.

Now I’m waiting on the final two suppliers’ shipments to arrive, but my enthusiasm has been dimmed a bit. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars so far just on these samples, and only one supplier seems like they may be what I’m looking for. I guess this experience was needed to balance the absolute high I was on when I got the throw cushion cover fabrics back from the printers. Now that was a phenomenal experience!