Cornhole and Sewing Lessons... a Great Combo

Cornhole is a popular game that is good for the family on many fronts.  One, it’s just plain fun. And addicting.  Second, it’s good, clean fun for the whole family, from the youngest to the oldest and everyone in between.  Cornhole games in the backyard are a good place for your kids to gather with their friends to have a good time and you know where they are and what they’re up to.

But there is even more to Cornhole than meets the eye when it comes to teaching your kids important life skills.  One example… you can use Cornhole to teach your kids to sew.  Making your own Cornhole beanbags is a simple task. You only need some fabric, corn or other filler material, and a sewing machine.

As a simple sewing lesson, how about starting out with a trip to the fabric store to let your child pick out some favorite fabric for the bag cover.  (Note that the bag material needs to be heavy duty, so use a duck cloth or other sturdy material for the bag, but you can make a bag ‘cover’ with some other fabric.)
 
You will need at least 4 bags, but 8 is better.  And while you’re making bags, you might even want to make extras incase you have a blowout or other bag disaster in the middle of a game.  Having backups ready to go will keep the fun moving along.

To make a bag, cut out 2 pieces of fabric that measure 7” x 7”.  Put them together, right sides together and pin them.  Sew a 1/4” seam on three sides.  Leave one side open for now to turn it right side out and to fill it.

For your seams, try using a combination of stitches for increased durability.  Try a straight stitch to close the seam at 1/4”, but right behind that or right over it, use a zig zag stitch for added strength.

When it comes to the 4th side, you can either leave it unsewn as we mentioned earlier, or you can sew it up about half way.  Whichever you prefer, you need room to turn the bag inside out and fill it with corn or beans or plastic pellets or whatever you will be using.

Now that your bag is right side out, fill it with 2.25 cups of corn.  Or enough of whatever filling you use to have it weigh 1 pound.  Make sure the weights are as even as possible among all bags.

Now, gather the filling to one end, fold the edges of the fabric in to make a clean edge, and sew it up.  Be sure to use a double stitch on this edge, too.

Now, you’re ready to go!  Your bags are ready to play and your child has begun to learn a new skill.