A stack of easy sew bean bags sit beside three fabric pumpkins on top of a window bench seat.

How To Make Bean Bags

In Studio

How to make your own homemade bean bag:

This is a great tutorial to use up those halloween fabric scraps you’ve been saving. We use our bean bags to play corn hole at home and at our local trunk-or-treat activity. With this quick sewing tutorial you will have a fun game for the whole family. Below are the supplies you will need to create your own halloween bean bag:

Pick Your Fabric

To begin your project select your halloween fabric. I had some leftover from a boo pillow I made last year. You can find some cute patterned fabric here. Now a bean bag is about the size of a 4 inch by 4 inch photo. You can go slightly bigger with a 5 x 5 but it’s up to you. This project doesn’t require a ruler but if you prefer to be precise go ahead and use one. I prefer to eyeball the measurements for this particular project. Grab your scissors and cut out two square-ish pieces of fabric or you can measure one long rectangle and fold it in half.

  • Popcorn kernels in a wooden bowl and with a wooden scoop on a black and white gingham table cloth.
  • Supplies to make your own easy sew bean bag laid out on a black and white gingham table cloth including popcorn kernels, wooden bowl, wooden scoop, a candy corn patterned bean bag.
DISCLAIMER: THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. SEE MY DISCLOSURE POLICY FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Time to sew your bean bag edges

We want our seams to be hidden so we will need to place our fabric in a specific way. First notice that your fabric has two sides – the front side has the printed pattern on it while the back side has a faded image on the back. Begin by placing one piece pattern side up on the table. Take your second piece and place it pattern side down onto the first piece.

In other words your two patterns should be touching each other and you should be left with the backside of the second fabric piece facing you. Now it’s time to match your edges and pin your fabric together. You can also just keep your pieces together by hand, but pins do add some ease to the process. Pin along the edges to make sure your fabric stays together and aligned.

A stack of easy sew bean bags sit beside three fabric pumpkins on top of a window bench seat.

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Fabric // Halloween Prints
Thread // Multicolor Pack
Needle // Hand Sewing Set
Scissors // Crane Set
pins // Multicolor Tin Set

Thread your needle and end with a knot

Then you want to prepare your needle and thread. Pull the thread out and measure from your thumb to your shoulder. Cut the thread with your scissors. Then you want to take your thread and hold one end between your thumb and first finger so you can carefully put it through the eye of the needle. After pulling it through you will hold the two thread ends together and tie a knot.

Start sewing about a quarter inch from the edge of the fabric. You will do a simple straight stitch and follow the edge along the length of three sides of your square sized fabric. Once you complete your third edge thread a little bit further along the fourth edge, about half way. Then tie a knot and you should have a 2-3 inch hole remaining. Reach into the hole and grab the opposite fabric corner. You will pull the corner through to help you turn the fabric inside out. The pattern side should now be outward facing so you can see it clearly.

Supplies to make your own easy sew bean bag laid out on a black and white gingham table cloth including popcorn kernels, wooden bowl, wooden scoop, and two candy corn patterned bean bag.
Four handmade bean bags using the easy sew method are laying together on top of a black and white gingham table cloth.
DISCLAIMER: THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. SEE MY DISCLOSURE POLICY FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Add your popcorn through the unsown hole

Pour your popcorn into a large bowl and add some scoops for you and your helpers to use. The kids loved this part. Scoop some popcorn from your bowl and pour it into the hole. It’s best to use a scoop that is small enough to pour popcorn into the hole. We like to hold the bean bag over the bowl while we fill it so any kernels that fall out an be caught by the bowl. Less mess and easy steps for you and your kiddos.

Fill your bag about 3/4 of the way full and then put it aside to be sewn closed. Take the fabric around the edge of the open hole and fold it into the hole far enough that the fabric will match the rest of the edge height. Use a pin to pinch the hole shut and take a new thread to your needle. Once you’ve threaded the needle and tied off your knot, you will start sewing from the inside of the hole. Sew across the edge and close of the hole and then tie off your string. Cut the thread and you’ve got a completed bean bag! Add a few more and you’ll be ready for a game of corn hole or bean bag toss.

A stack of easy sew bean bags sit beside three fabric pumpkins in front of a book shelf decorated for Halloween.
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