DIY Counting Bean Bags

DIY Counting Bean Bags

After I made the DIY Mini Bean Bags, I decided I'd try out the Counting Bean Bags tutorial. If you didn't read the Mini Bean Bags blog, I used these two websites to teach myself to sew: How to Sew and Blanket Stitch Tutorial Video since these were my first go-rounds with sewing.

Materials needed:

- squares of fabric - two per bean bag (use the 4 1/2" square template in the Counting Bean Bags tutorial for ease)

- fabric to cut out numbers from

- iron-on adhesive to apply numbers to bean bag (she uses cotton muslin & adhesive backed light fusible web instead, but I did it the easy way)
- needle and thread
- scissors
- beans (I used pinto beans because they were the cheapest medium sized beans I could find)

Instructions:

1. Prepare your numbers to be ironed on by printing the stencils on card stock and tracing them backwards on the iron-on adhesive.  Then, follow the iron-on adhesive instructions to adhere the number to the back side of the fabric and cut out the number.  You can now place the number on your square of fabric and iron it in place.  Do this for each of your counting bean bags, then follow the rest of the instructions which are the same as the Mini Bean Bag instructions.

*I actually used my Mother-in-law's sewing machine for the counting bean bags (and got one of my first sewing machine lessons in the process), but if you don't have access to one, then follow these steps, as I did for my first set of bean bags.

2. Take two squares of fabric and place them with the front sides touching and the back sides facing out.  Pin the pieces together around the perimeter.

This shows a complete bean bag and one that is pinned.

3. Thread your needle (use "How to Sew" link to see different choices - I like double thread) - and secure one end with a knot.

4. Sew around 3 1/2 sides with a back stitch (on "How to Sew" link) leaving a hole to fill with beans.  If you want your bean bags uniform, make sure to leave the hole in the same place on each bean bag.  I left a hole in the bottom center of mine under the numbers.

Front side of "back stitch"

  

Back side of "back stitch"

5. Turn material right side out and fill with beans.

6. Sew around entire bean bag again with a whip stitch or a blanket stitch (watch Blanket Stitch Tutorial Video).

7. You now have a set of counting bean bags!