Now we are in the last part of this series. How exciting!

Part 1 dealt with building cornhole boards.

Part 2 dealt with painting them.

This part shows you how to make the bags for cornhole!

Materials Needed:

• Duck Cloth
• Thread
• Glue
• Feed Grade Corn
• Sewing Machine
• Scissors or Rotary Cutter
• Pen
• Ruler
• Sewing Pens
• Scale (the kind used for cooking)

First, hit up the fabric store, like Hancock. Duck cloth is a canvas material that is durable for the outdoors. It comes in many colors and designs. You will want two different ones (one for each team).

I let the husband choose our fabrics. I’ll be honest, at first I was not very excited about his selections, but they have grown on me. We picked a fabric with roosters on them, one with a blue background and the other with a red background.

You will be making four bags in each color – each a 7″ x 7″ square. So, the bolt of fabric should be at least 56″ wide. If it is, you can get the store to cut 7″ long if they don’t have a minimum amount & you would have just enough fabric for the four bags.

We, however, just asked them to cut half a yard. We wanted extra for two reasons – 1. If we had a major learning curve when making the first bag and 2. We wanted extra material in case we needed to make another bag in the future.

Next is the corn. You can find it at a feed store, like Tractor Supply. You will need eight pounds of it for the bags.

For each set of bags, you will need 8 squares that measure 7″ by 7″. Measure & mark with a pen. Then, take your scissors and cut them out. I used a rotary cutter and highly recommend it! Just be careful of the surface you cut on as it will get cut. I didn’t have a cutting mat, so I used a plastic, flimsy cutting board to protect my counter top.

Once the squares are cut, you will want to pin them together to sew. Make sure the edges are lined up. Have the outside facing in (if you got a print)! After sewing, they will be turned right side out.

Now sew 1/2″ from the edge all around the bag, leaving at least an inch open in the middle of one side. This is the hole you will use to fill the bag with corn. I sewed mine twice around for extra strength and peace of mind. I should also note I used stronger thread – the kind meant for outdoor fabrics.

Once finished, trim the corners of the bag on the outside of the thread. Then, take your glue and glue the two fabric pieces together on the outside of the thread. This will strengthen it further so it does not burst when thrown.

Now, turn the bag inside out. To get ‘sharp’ corners, take your pen to press the corners out. Measure your bag – it should now be 6″ x 6″!

Repeat for all bags.

Now to scale out your corn. You want the bag and the corn to equal 16 ounces (one pound). Usually, you want to measure out 15.5 ounces of corn or about two cups.

This next part is the hardest part – sewing up the bags full of corn! Earlier I said leave about an inch opening on one side. You can choose to leave one side completely unsewn, but I found it so much easier to hold the corn in the bag AND sew with a smaller opening.

Fold in both sides of the opening to make it even with the rest of the bag. I used pins to help me hold it in place, but you will need to keep it pinched so it stays clear of corn while sewing.

I was not super confident in my sewing abilities with items that were going to constantly be thrown long distances, so I sewed the entire side – twice. If you are more confident, then start your sewing just outside the edge of the hole.

I went slowly and had to keep the foot of the sewing machine up some of the time. But they turned out great!

Also, all that double stitching and gluing has made these bags last for several months & countless games.

Have you tried this? Have any other tips for those looking to make their own? Share in the comments!