What is a Papasan Cover?

A papasan cover typically refers to the covers that can be purchased to protect papasan pillows. These aren’t always easy to find at furniture and department stores and the round pillows that fit in the satellite-like papasan chairs may be a little harder to make covers for at home, especially for the beginning sewer. Fortunately, there are many online sites that sell papasan covers for numerous needs, and most shoppers will be able to find a few covers at local stores that sell the chairs.

There are many reasons to purchase a papasan cover. An old cushion on a chair may have some stains and need recovering. Other times, the chairs are sold with cushions, but not in fabrics or colors that will match décor. Another incentive to purchasing a papasan cover may be to get a washable cover. Since the cushions for the chairs are very large, they usually cannot be washed in washing machines, and keeping the cushions clean can be labor intensive.

When purchasing a cover, it’s wise to measure the cushion’s diameter and its width. Cushions that have significant filling will need slightly larger covers than those that have less filling. Some materials in covers stretch to fit, but most don’t. Since the chair cushions don’t necessarily have standard sizes, it may take some searching to find a papasan cover that will fit. It's best to buy covers from the store that sells the chair or to use careful measuring to make sure the cover will fit. Some companies also make custom-sized covers in a broad range of fabrics.

Those looking for a papasan cover should also consider the type of chair frame into which the cushion fits. Mamasan chairs are often called double papasans or loveseats and they may have oval cushions instead of round ones. They are usually about twice the size of the papasan cushion. There are also junior papasans, which have much smaller round cushions than do the average sized chairs.

Many people purchase accessories for these chairs like ottomans that may have a matching cushion too. When purchasing covers for the chair pillows, it’s a good idea to purchase coordinating covers for ottoman pillows. These are just as subject to getting dirty, and perhaps even more so because many people put their feet up on them.

Though many of the fabrics used for papasan covers are for indoor use, it is possible to find outdoor or weather resistant cushion covers too. These may be great for papasans that sit on porches or in backyards, and they tend to protect the filling of the pillow. For homes with little kids, sometimes weather resistant cushions may be a good choice indoors too.

Each type of cover may have a slightly different fit mechanism. Some are zip on covers, others stretch to fit, and yet others are slip on covers that are like pillow slip covers where the cushion is placed in through the back center of the cover. Zippered covers and stretch to fit ones may be easiest to put on if the cushion is particularly heavy. Fitting the large pillow into the middle back section of a cover and then smoothing it out can take some work.