So you want a nice quality set of
cornhole bags but you want them on the cheap? With a little money, a little time, and barely any effort, your dream can come true. First thing is first. You want to make sure you have all of the materials and tools needed for the job.
Tools that are required for this job include, scissors, sewing machine or sewing needles, and a pen or pencil. Gather these items together and we will then go onto the supplies. I would suggest purchasing these items from a craft store, such as Michael’s or Jo Anne Fabrics. Many of these supplies could easily be found around the house.
This supply list is also fairly short. Think about what a
cornhole bag is. It is simply some sort of bead material, wrapped and sewn inside of some heavy duty cloth. So, we will need the bead material (feed-grade dried corn kernels), the cloth (duck cloth), and something to sew it with (thread). These items too can be purchased from a local craft supplier. With any luck, you could easily purchase these supplies for under $10.00. I made mine for $9.80 but I had all of the tools for this job already. When purchasing the duck cloth, remember to pick up 2 square yards. This works out to make approximately 10 bags. This leaves a little room for error and 1 square yard of the duck cloth costs approximately $2.50.
When purchasing the supplies, you want to remember that this is a team based game. So, although colors won’t make or break the game, you want to make sure that you are making two sets of bags and each should be a different color. When choosing colors, you may be limited by the supplies available at the craft store, but you should choose two colors which are furthest away from each other on the color spectrum. (Example, blue & orange or green & red)
A set of Cornhole bags consists of 8 bags. Four bags per team or color. Each bag will require two 7 inch by 7 inch squares of duck cloth. Duck cloth is very similar to canvas in feel and is very strong. It is best to draw out your squares onto the cloth to fit as many as possible. After you have drawn out the squares, simply cut them with scissors as accurately as possible.
Now that you have them cut out, put two of the squares back to back and sew along three of the four edges. Make sure you are sewing approximately 1/8 to 1/4 inch from the edge of the cloth. This should create a pocket. Now, sew three quarters of the fourth edge which will allow a small opening to invert the bag. By inverting the bag, you will leave the sewn edge on the inside, rather than having it exposed on the outside of the bag. I suggest using a sewing machine if one is available. If you do not have a sewing machine, make sure you take extra care and make the seams as strong as possible before inverting the bag. Now that the bag is inverted, you can start to fill the bags with the dried corn kernels.
With a bag this size, you should be filling the bag with approximately 14 to 16 ounces of corn kernel. If you do not have a scale to measure the weight, then use your best judgment. The bag should not be too firm, as you do not want it to be bouncing around, but if it is too soft, then it will not have proper trajectory when thrown.
Once the bags have been filled with the appropriate amount of corn, it is time to seal the deal. You will want to pinch the corner of the bag which has been left open. With a little work, you should be able to close off the corner of the bag by sewing it shut. You may have to sew on the outside of this corner. Don’t worry though, it gives your bag character. Some people may opt to use fabric glue in the corner to adhere it shut, however, I feel that it jeopardizes the integrity of the bag.
Once you have closed the bag, you are done. You may want to try buying 4 different colors of duck cloth and making bags which are different colors on each side. Just be consistent so that the four bags for each team are distinguishable. Be creative and have fun with it. That is the point of Cornhole!
This is a fun little project and if you are frugal, you should be able to keep the cost of this project to a minimum. To purchase a set of 8 Cornhole bags online, you are looking to spend around $15.00 plus shipping in most cases. If you are able to find high quality Cornhole bags for less than the cost of this project, then kudos to you, but I prefer homemade bags in general because they are personal and I can say, ""Hey! I made those!