Bean Bag Tutorial

by Cameron

I’m in the middle of an adorable baby bumper crop, and I know that many of you are, too. The babies and the birthdays just keep a comin’! I had been on the hunt for the perfect handmade baby gift for a while, when one of our wonderful customers dropped the answer right in my lap – bean bags!

Kids don’t grow out of bean bags, they’re quick to sew up, and they’re simple enough that they could be a fun toy for years instead of months. (I’m sorry I didn’t get your name, shoot us an email so I can give you credit for your brilliant idea!)  

We’re flush with adorable prints that would be perfect for bean bags.

There’s almost no way to go wrong making bean bags, but because my apartment has temporarily been turned into a bean bag factory, I thought I would snap a few pictures and put together a tutorial.

Materials:

• adorable fabric (a fat quarter should make three to four 6”x6” bean bags, so come in to the store and load up on fat quarters during our our fat quarter sale on Tuesday, January 26!)
• thread
• roughly 3/4 cup or 8 oz. of beans per bean bag - I used split peas because they were the least expensive, but lentils would also be a good option.

1.) Cut two 6”x6” squares for every bean bag you want to make.

2.) With right-sides together sew two squares together leaving a 3”-4” gap on one side. Trim corners.

 3.) Turn bag right-side out. Fold under edges of the gap and press. Stitch around the bag. I put pins on either side of the gap I left in the previous step, otherwise I’ll stitch right through it.

 4.) Fill with beans! I used about 3/4 of cup of split peas per bean bag.

 5.) This part is a little awkward, but you’re almost done. Finagle the beans towards the botton of the bean bag and put pins just above them to hold them at bay. Stitch across the opening. That’s it!

Do you have a go to baby or toddler gift?