Cornhole is a popular toss game that involves a series of corn-filled bags or tossable bean bags thrown into a hole on a wooden board. There are a plethora of online websites that sell cornhole supplies like cornhole bags and boards.
If you are on a budget, creating your DIY cornhole bags can give you the freedom to customize your sewing project. Without further ado, let’s get into the steps of creating your own cornhole bag.
Factors To Consider For A DIY Cornhole Bag
Making sturdy cornhole bags is an easy do-it-yourself project that requires basic sewing skills and a few hours of your time. To ensure that the cornhole bag stands the test of time, we are going to use a cotton duck material that can withstand all types of weather.
Whether you are sewing new bags or replacing your old DIY cornhole bags, this method is extremely doable. Before we get started, let’s first understand the different components of making a cornhole bag.
Standard Measurements
According to the American Cornhole Association (ACA), each cornhole finished bag should have the following measurements:
- 10-12 ounces of cotton duck cloth
- At least 6”x6” square pattern
- Weigh around 14-16 ounces
For the game, you will need a complete set of 8 cornhole bags–four bags each having different colors. Since the bags have a 6-7 inch square design, you can create around 20 bags with one yard of fabric.
Duck Cloth
The most common fabric used in sewing bags is canvas duck cloth–most preferably 10-12 ounces of duck fabric. Duck cloth is a reliable and versatile cloth fabric that contains a fair percentage of cotton fabrics. Even though in the textile industry, cotton duck is usually used to refer to the cloth fabric, not all duck cloths contain 100% cotton.
Certain canvas styles utilize synthetic fibers like polyester or nylon along with natural cotton fabric. In this DIY project, we will incorporate 10 ounces of duck cloth to make durable cornhole bags.
Cornhole Bag Fill
As the name suggests, traditionally cornhole bags are filled with whole-kernel corn. Before corn was the preferred filler as it created a layer of dust over the cornhole board, allowing for more slick play.
With the passage of time, corn-filled bags are no more the preferred material for cornhole games. In fact, resin-filled bags may pose a tough competition to the older material due to their durability. A major downside of corn-filled bags is that they retain moisture, mold, and mildew which can affect their longevity. Hence, non-corn fillers like resin pellets tend to last much longer and also ensure a dust-free environment. You should typically use 1-¾ cup of corn or resin fillers to meet the required 15-16 ounces of finished cornhole regulations.
Materials You Will Need
For this DIY project, the right materials and their appropriate proportions play a major role in the game. On hard surfaces, the composition of materials can largely impact game performance. Keep in mind the aforementioned details before proceeding with the steps.
- A sewing machine
- Duck cloth, 2 colors
- #16 machine needle
- Filler material (15 ounces of corn or resin pellets)
- 7”x7” square pattern
- Rotary cutter
- Pencil or fabric pen
- Scissors
- Pins
- Digital scale
- Funnel
- Cutting mat
- V-69 Polyester thread
After you have gathered the required materials, follow the instructions below for a sturdy cornhole bag.
How To Make A DIY Cornhole Bag
We have already discussed how a finished cornhole bag needs to have certain specifications for seamless performance. Keeping that in mind, let’s start with the step-by-step cornhole bag tutorial.
Step 1: Cut The Fabric
For this sewing project, we will cut the duck cloth fabric using the 7”x7” pattern into equal squares. For a complete cornhole bag set, you can use 2 different colors for 4 pieces each. You should have 16 squares for the cornhole bag–8 for one color and 8 for the other.
You can make this process easier by incorporating other supplies like a cutting mat to trace out the squares using the measuring line and a rotary cutter to make it comfortable and easy.
Step 2: Pin The Squares
Although this step is not mandatory, it does help in sewing the square pieces together. Take two squares of the same color or pattern and pin the squares together using straight pins.
There is no thumb rule to pin the square edges. Just make sure that the pins do not poke out as that can inevitably prick your fingers.
Step 3: Sew The Squares Together
The next step involves sewing the square pieces together on your sewing machine. Thread your machine with the V-69 Polyester thread and sew the bags together with a seam of ½” from the edge. Leave about 2 inches on one edge of the bag to flip the bag later. You can even double stitch the sides too for a professional look.
Place the squares at the ½ seam allowance on the needle plate and start approximately 2 inches from one side and continue to the other side. Now reverse-sew at the beginning of the seam to lock your stitches, making sure that you leave around 2 inches on the final side to allow for turning. After completing these steps, cut the corners on the finished cornhole bag and flip the bag right side out whilst pushing out the corners.
Step 4: Fill the Cornhole Bags
To fill the bags, you’ll need to measure how much corn you need. You can do this by using a digital scale to measure the required amount. We recommend 15-16 ounces of corn per bag as per the specified regulations. If you do not have a measuring scale, 15 ounces of corn is equivalent to two cups of corn.
Once you have measured the optimum amount, transfer the filler material (whether that is corn or raisin) to the finished cornhole bag through a funnel. To sew cornhole bags together, tuck the edges inside the bag and sew the open length entirely. Make sure that you double stitch the sides too.
Final Words
That’s it! Now you are ready with your finished DIY cornhole bags. You can indulge in the lively game without worrying about the bags falling apart.
Cornhole is the perfect summertime game to play with your family and friends. Create your own homemade cornhole bags and perform your best throws!
