Fall is a time of cool days and evenings that a full of outdoor fun like yard games! We are going to show you how to make these DIY Cornhole Bags! What better way to have some family fun than to play some games in the yard? Our family loves playing cornhole, but sometimes we accidentally leave the bags outside and they get ruined. I realized it was way cheaper to just quickly sew up some cornhole bags rather than buying a whole additional set. Beware you don’t want to buy just a bean bag or a plastic pellets bag, It just isn’t the same as a normal cornhole bag. The great thing about making them yourself is that you can customize them. You can make some to match the cornhole set you already have or sew up something unique. These would also be fun gifts for friends and neighbors that also love corn hole.
My husband recently made some custom corn hole boards as a gift for a co-worker and I sewed some matching corn-filled bags for a complete cornhole set up. They loved it and I loved how easy it was to make. This is a super easy sewing project, perfect for beginners. As I said, this is a super cheap way to make your own cornhole game yourself. Just buy the wood and put it together and sew your own bags you’ll be set for a day full of fun!
To make cornhole bags, I used a combination of tightly woven cotton canvas for added durability. You could also use a duck cloth canvas here, or whatever works for you. You just want to make sure you pick something with a little extra strength to stand up to the wear and tear of the game as thin fabrics will tear after a few throws. Once you’ve picked out your fabric to make custom cornhole bags, you’ll need some interfacing to help the bags keep their shape and add some extra durability. After that, just some basic sewing supplies like thread, a rotary cutter, mat, and ruler, some sewing clips or pins, and finally some filling. I went with a corn-based filling for mine, some use rice or beans, but you can do whatever you prefer. One thing to note is that sometimes when sewing thicker fabrics your sewing machine needles can break. Be sure to have a few extra on hand in case that happens or use a stronger needle to stand up to the thicker fabric. Since I have made so many regulation cornhole bags I now love to make cornhole bags for anyone that needs them.
What you’ll need to make your own cornhole bags:
- ¾ yard of 44” or ½ yard of 60” tightly woven cotton or duck fabric in one color/pattern
- ¾ yard of 44” or ½ yard of 60” tightly woven cotton or duck fabric in one color/pattern
- 8 pounds of corn pellets, cracked corn or popcorn kernels
- Fabric marking pen
- Food scale and wide mouth funnel
- Matching thread
- Sewing pins or clips
- Scissors
- Turning tool
- Rotary Cutter, Mat, & Ruler
- Iron
- Sewing machine
- Extra sewing machine needles
Cornhole bags consists of your fabric and a filler you will need both to make cornhole bags. There are many names for the cotton duck fabric squares, but as long as you use a heavy-duty cotton fabric it will work as well. Make sure you use polyester thread if possible and have a good cutting mat due to the heavier cloth. While the bags inside can be filled with plastic pellets, aka resin pellets in the small bags, we have found for this very popular game that we prefer the play and sound of whole kernel corn-filled bags as this would be the traditional filling.
Official Cornhole Bag Size and Weight:
Per the Cornhole ACA – “Regulation cornhole bags meet the American Cornhole Association® standards. A regulation cornhole bag size is 6” x 6” and weighs a pound.”
How To Make DIY Corn Hole Bags
The first step on this DIY cornhole bag sewing tutorial is to wash, dry, and iron your fabric. This process acts as a preshrink and will help your stitches stay put even if these cornhole bags get wet. Trust me I learned this the hard way and had my stitches come out of one too easily.
For two teams you will want two different colors, cut 8 – 6.5-inch pieces of one color/pattern and 8 – 6.5-inch pieces in the other color/pattern. With the right sides together of the cotton duck fabric, pin or clip the 8 of the first color/pattern and the 8 of the second color/pattern. This will help you make four bags for each team in the cornhole game.
Now it’s time to make cornhole bags. Using a 1/4 “seam allowance, sew all the way around each, leaving a 3.5” gap for turning. Repeat until all the pieces are sewn together.
Next on this DIY corn hole bags tutorial, clip off the corners of your fabric and turn them right side out. Using a turning tool, push out the corners. Once they are all pushed out, press with a warm iron.
The next step as we make cornhole bags is to fill up our bags. Using a food scale and a wide mouth funnel, fill each bag with between 1 ¾ – 2 cups of corn filling. For these bags, I used popcorn kernels but you could use whatever you want like beans, corn, or even rice. Repeat until all bags are full. While you fill up your additional corn hole bags make sure to use sewing clips to keep the opening closed until I was ready to sew them all shut.
Now for the last step in this DIY cornhole bags sewing tutorial, we just need to sew the opening closed to keep the bags shut. Using a ¼ “seam allowance, either use your machine or hand sew the opening closed.
If you are not wanting to finish off with a sewing machine and are hand sewing, make sure the opening is closed very securely so the filling of corn kernels will not come out during play. I like to use a ladder stitch also called an invisible stitch to complete the finished cornhole bag.
And that’s it, the whole process is easy and now you have a complete set of cornhole bags! Now you know how to make sturdy cornhole bags! We hope you enjoyed this fun and simple sewing tutorial and love your finished cornhole bags. Now take your set of cornhole bags get outside and have some fun with your family on your cornhole boards. If your kids love playing corn hole as much as mine, you just made yourself a bargain on summer fun and making memories.
If you liked learning how to make these DIY cornhole bags, make sure to pin it to your favorite Pinterest board or share it with friends on social media. If you decide to make this simple project on your own, make certain that you take a picture afterward and tag us on social media as we love seeing the fabrics and color choices that people use!
DIY Cornhole Bags
Make your own fun corn hole bags with this simple sewing tutorial. I made a whole set with custom boards and it turned out great! Start your DIY corn hole bags today.
Materials
Tools
Instructions
- Cut 8 - 6.5” square pieces of one color/pattern and 8 - 6.5” in the other color/pattern.
- With right sides together, pin or clip the 4 of the first color/pattern and the 4 of the second color/pattern.
- Using a 1/4 “seam allowance, sew all the way around each, leaving a 3.5” gap for turning. Repeat until all the pieces are sewn together.
- Clip off the corners and turn right side out. Using a turning tool, push out the corners.
- Press with a warm iron.
- Using a food scale and a wide mouth funnel, fill each bag with between 1 ¾ - 2 cups of corn filling. Repeat until all bags are full.
- Using a ¼ “seam allowance, either use your machine or hand sew the opening closed. If hand sewing, make sure the opening is closed very securely so the filling will not come out during play.
- Enjoy your new cornhole bags with a game of cornhole!
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