Friday, May 20, 2011

The Various Types Of Braided Seat Pads

By Clarissa Miller


One of the more popular types of seat cushions are braided chair pads, primarily for the reason that they are easily made by even amateurs with an interest in self-made furniture. The selection of material for the braid is surprisingly complex, as there are a number for the casual crafts-person to choose from.

Perhaps the most popular and widely used, as well as the most easy to manipulate, are standard cotton and wool. For both, yarn is not appropriate. Rather both materials should be finely spun and woven into fabric, then cut into wide strips to be prepared for braiding. Cotton and wool make up soft, warm and comfortable braided chair pads.

The next most common material is leather. But leather is a tough, hard material so why would people want to use it for seating? The answer lies in the fact that there are situations where the seat must be robust, hardy and resistant to elements. Such seats are found on motorcycles, horses, and in cars.

Other materials include things like rattan which is the dried leaf of palm trees. The leaf is cut into thin strips and then baked in the sun to remove moisture. This leaves a flexible yet tough material that is braided into items like furniture and other large products. As chair pads they are not so comfortable.

There are lots of braided chair pads which can be grouped in lots of ways. Some individuals classify them by the kind of seat they are meant to cover. For instance, a stool pad is very different from a dining one. There are other individuals however who classify them by their design. A good example of is a hooked chair pad created from hooked cotton and a braided chair cushion created from braided yarn.

Braided chair pads are even be categorized as indoor or outdoor types. Indoor chair cushions are unrestricted in their available designs, shapes and material of construction. Nevertheless, outdoor chair cushions must be built more durable in order to stand up to the elements like rain and exposure to harsh ultraviolet light.




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