CYC Cushions — A Slice of the Collection for Your Sofa
We started with bags. Now we make cushions too — same handmade cotton velvet, same prints from the heritage range, same makers in Rajasthan. Add a flourish of bold pattern to your sofa, your reading chair, your meditation corner. The cushion brings the bag-buying experience into the home: soft, plush, deeply pigmented, and quietly built to last for years.
Why we made cushions
CYC began as a bag brand. But over time, customers began asking the same question: can I get this print on something for my home? Bags carry across the day; cushions stay in the room. People who loved the Tibetan Tiger print on a tote wanted the same heritage motif on the sofa, in the same velvet.
So we made them. The cushion covers use the same plush cotton velvet as our weekenders and totes, the same heritage motifs, the same hand-quilted construction. Just rendered as squares instead of bags. The lining is cotton, the closure is a zip, and the cushion is sized to fit a standard 18-inch insert (45 × 45 cm).
What's in the collection
Currently three cushion covers in the Cushions Collection:
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Tibetan Tiger Velvet Cushion — our most-loved heritage motif, the protective tiger of Tibet rendered in deep velvet pigment. Available in multiple colourways.
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Striped Velvet Cushion — bold stripes on plush velvet, in six colourways. The print that ties any room together.
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Jungle Velvet Cushion — the lush jungle motif (palms, parrots, foliage in soft tones) on velvet. The print for the reading-chair corner.
The cushion cover ships without the insert — most customers prefer to source their own (Etsy, IKEA, John Lewis all stock 45 × 45 cm cushion inserts cheaply). This keeps shipping costs and packaging volume down, and lets you choose your own filling preference (feather, polyester, hypoallergenic).
How to style CYC cushions
Cotton velvet cushions are mid-statement pieces — bold enough to anchor a sofa, restrained enough to mix with plain linen, neutral upholstery, or wooden furniture. A few principles:
One bold cushion + plain linen others. Let the velvet cushion be the visual anchor. Pair with cream, oatmeal, or earth-toned plain linen cushions on the same sofa.
Or layer multiple CYC prints in the same palette. The Striped Velvet Cushion in pink + Tibetan Tiger Velvet Cushion in red + a plain cream cushion is the maximalist mix. All prints share the same Indian craft heritage and palette, so they coordinate even when they don't match.
Velvet behaves differently in light. The pile catches the light from different angles — the same cushion looks slightly different in morning vs evening light. Worth planning the placement around your room's natural light direction.
Pairing CYC cushions with CYC bags
For customers who want the full co-ordinated kit: the cushion in your living room matches the bag at the door. The Tibetan Tiger Velvet Cushion + Tibetan Tiger Velvet Tote is the "set" most often bought together. The Striped Velvet Cushion + Striped Velvet Tote works the same way. It's quiet luxury — the kind of detail that only people who look closely notice.
How to care for CYC cushions
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Spot-clean only. A damp cloth lifts most marks. Don't soak the velvet.
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Don't machine-wash velvet covers. Machine washing flattens the velvet pile permanently.
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Hang to refresh the pile. If the velvet flattens from sitting on, give the cushion a gentle hang for a few hours and brush the pile back in one direction.
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Avoid direct sunlight on prolonged display — sun fades the dye over years, the way it fades any natural fabric.
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Steam carefully if you must press — hand-held steamer at 6 inches, never direct iron contact.
What to expect from handmade velvet
Every CYC cushion cover is handmade in Rajasthan on cotton velvet, hand-quilted with a cotton lining, and finished with a hand-stitched zip closure. Each cover is slightly different from the next. You'll notice:
The print sits in the velvet pile, not on top of it. The dye soaks into the cotton velvet rather than coating the surface. Look closely and you'll see the motif emerging from the texture of the cloth itself.
Slight irregularity in motif placement. The blocks are pressed by hand, by eye, one impression at a time. Look at two cushions side by side and you'll see minor differences in where each motif sits.
Soft-edged motifs. The dye bleeds a fraction of a millimetre into the pile. That softness is inherent to handmade pieces; machine printing produces sharper, harder edges.
None of these are faults. They are why a handmade velvet cushion ages better than a printed-polyester equivalent — there's no surface coating to crack or peel.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size are CYC cushions?
45 × 45 cm (18 × 18 inches) — fits the standard cushion insert sold by most home retailers (Etsy, IKEA, John Lewis, Amazon).
Does the cushion come with an insert?
No — only the cover. Customers source their own insert separately, which keeps shipping costs down and lets you choose your preferred filling (feather, polyester, hypoallergenic).
How do I clean a CYC velvet cushion?
Spot-clean only with a damp cloth. Don't machine-wash — it flattens the velvet pile permanently. Hang to refresh the pile if it gets crushed.
What material is the cushion cover?
Cotton velvet on the outside, cotton lining on the inside, printed with natural and AZO-free synthetic dyes. The zip closure is hand-stitched.
Which print does the cushion come in?
Currently the Cushions Collection includes Tibetan Tiger Velvet, Striped Velvet, and Jungle Velvet. Check individual product pages for available colourways.
Can I get a matching tote and cushion?
Yes — most prints in the cushion collection have matching tote and weekender versions. The Tibetan Tiger Velvet Cushion + Tibetan Tiger Velvet Tote is the most-bought set.
Will the cushion fade in direct sunlight?
Over years of prolonged sun exposure, yes — like any natural-fibre dyed textile. Indirect light or a shaded position keeps the colour deep.
Are CYC cushions sustainable?
Handmade by named makers in Rajasthan, paid fairly. Natural cotton and cotton velvet, AZO-free dyes, no plastic-coated surfaces. 10% of profits support artisan welfare. Read more in The Truth About Sustainable Fashion.
With Love,
Conscious Yoga Collective
Continue reading: What is Hand-Block-Printing?, Reading the Prints field guide, or The Truth About Sustainable Fashion.