DIY Cornhole Bags Project
Sew your team spirit and tailgate in style with our easy-to-make cornhole bags that feature your alma mater, favorite team, or choose any fabric that suites your style. The cool thing about them is that you'll use our Omnigrid® Fussy Cut Templates to make sure the dominant motif of your fabric – whatever it may be – is centered on the bags.
Gather your supplies:
- Fussy cut templates
- 5” x 10” ruler
- 6” x 24” ruler
- Rotary cutter
- 360® rotating cutting mat
- Standard cutting mat
- Point turner
Other supplies:
If you are making bean bags specifically for the popular game of cornhole, you will need to make a total of 8 bean bags (4 each of 2 different designs/colors). The quantities below are for 8 bags.
- 1/2 to 1 yard of each fabric design (quantity will depend on motif); we used quilt weight fabric
- ¼ yard each of 2 different solid duck canvas colors (for the backs of the bags; to match your quilt weight fabric)
- 1/2-yard medium weight interfacing
- Sewing machine with matching thread
- Iron and pressing surface
- Feed corn or weighted plastic pellets
- Kitchen scale
Note:
- ½” seam allowance
Prep your fabric:
Printed fabric:
- 4 pcs: 7” x 7”, with fussy cut motif centered on square of fabric
- 4 pcs: 7” x 7”, with fussy cut motif centered on square of fabric
1st canvas color:
- 4 pcs: 7” x 7”
- 4 pcs: 7” x 7”
Interfacing:
- 8 pcs: 7” x 7”
Learn how to use the Omnigrid Fussy Cut Templates
Watch our video tutorial and learn how easy it is to use the Omnigrid Fussy Cut Templates to perfectly center fabric motifs with a frame.
Frame and mark your motif
Position the template over the desired motif and a mark 7” square using the holes in the template. (For our bags, we wanted the team logo centered on each bag, so notice the crosshatch in the center of the Clemson paw above.)
Connect the dots and trim
Draw lines to connect corner marks; cut out each square. The Omnigrid 360° Rotating Cutting Mat makes the trimming easy – spin the mat and trim each side without moving your body.
Apply interfacing
Fuse interfacing to the back of fussy cut squares. The interfacing is necessary to help build up the weight of the fabric to closer match the weight of the canvas. If you are using canvas for both sides, there is no need to interface.
Pair solid fabric backs with printed fonts
Match fussy cut squares to coordinating canvas squares; pin with right sides together. Stitch around sides with ½” seam leaving a 3” to 4” opening in the middle of one side. Be sure to backstitch at both sides of opening. Trim corners.
Use an Ezy-Hem Gauge to press seam allowances
Here’s a tip for you. Before turning, press under seam allowances at opening. Using the Ezy-Hem gauge makes this tip super easy to do. This will keep you from guessing how much to fold your seam allowances in later and makes them nice and neat.
Push out corners with a point turner
Turn bean bags right side out and push out corners with Point Turner. (Point turner is shown how it would be used inside of the bean bag. Press if needed.
Add bean bag filling
Fill bean bags with corn or pellets. Each bean bag should weigh between 14 and 16 oz. A kitchen scale will help you get the weight just right.
Final steps
Pin opening sides together and stitch closed using a zipper foot. That’s it!
Check out both sides
Because the Clemson design we wanted to use is a quilt weight fabric, we used the solid orange duck canvas on the backs of the bags and interfaced the quilting fabric to make it an equal weight.
You’ve got options! If you use a duck canvas for the fronts and backs the interfacing step can be eliminated.
Make another set
For our game of cornhole, we made 4 Clemson bags and 4 Georgia bags. Notice how that bulldog logo is nice and centered on the bag thanks to the fussy cut template.
Game on!
Talk about a good match! You’ll have fun making the bean bags and even more fun playing cornhole with your custom bean bags.