How to make Cornhole Bags in less than 1 Hour

Beside boards, cornhole bags are the most important piece of equipment that you need for playing cornhole.

You need to have 8 bags – 4 for each player.

Each team needs to have different bag color, so it can be easily distinguished which bag belongs to which team while the bags are on a board.

Make sure that 4 bags are made out of one color and other 4 bags out of some other color. Preferably, try to use two contrary colors.

In this article you will learn the easiest way on how to create high quality cornhole bags. It can be done even by someone who has never done any DIY project before.

However, if you don’t want to get your hands dirty or you don’t have time for a DIY project, then you can simply buy cornhole bags on Amazon for a very low price.

Today we are creating cornhole all weather bags because they are going to be long lasting, custom, beautiful and if you prefer water resistant.

How to make cornhole bags

This is a quick overview of the steps for creating custom cornhole bags:

  1. Get bag supplies: canvas or duck cloth, thread, fabric glue, dried corn
  2. Prepare the tools: sewing machine, fabric cutting mat, scissors, pen & pins, digital scale
  3. Build: 6″ by 6″ size using double stitch sew with 450 grams of corn in each bag

Official cornhole bags

Bean bag dimensions
Cornhole bag dimension – 6″ x 6″

Cornhole boards are made according to the official and standardized dimensions.

Hole is exactly 6 inches in diameter, so you want to make sure to follow certain dimension guidelines when creating bags.

According to the official rules, cornhole bag should be exactly 6 inches wide and 6 inches long (6″ x 6″).

If you build it a bit larger then it may affect your gameplay and you may have problems getting a bag to fall into the hole.

Supplies you need

Bags should be made out of sturdy materials in order to avoid ripping while sliding on a board.

Canvas duck fabric material for cornhole bag

Cornhole players prefer either real corn or plastic pellet for bag filling. According to the official guidelines you should use real corn.

However in order for a bag to be water resistant, plastic pallets are a much better choice.

Off course if you are creating bean bags for kids then consider adding less amount of corn in order for bags to be lighter.

These are the supply materials that you need for this project:

  • Canvas duck fabric 7.5″ by 7.5″ per each bag
  • Thread
  • Fabric glue
  • Dried corn feed or plastic pellets depending on which type of bag you prefer

Thread is cheap and you can always use it for something else even if you buy more then you currently need.

Same goes for fabric glue, although this is an optional supply.

Cried corn filling for cornhole bags

Dried corn can be bought in bulk (kilo or pound), so its a simple math on how to calculate how much corn you need.

Some people recommend that you use popcorn instead of dried corn feed. However, dried corn is much cheaper then pop corn and its the ultimate choice since its the authentic filling for cornhole bags.

Dried corn is also heavier and it breaks so it leaves dust and gives you that authentic cornhole experience.

This type of corn is available at any local tractor shop.

In each bag you need to put 450 grams of corn.

If you want to create 16 bean bags then you need 7.2 kg of corn.

16 x 450g = 7200g = 7.2 kg

Which translates into 15.87 pounds. 

How to calculate how much fabric to buy 

Canvas fabric role

You need to be careful and precise when buying fabric, because you don’t want to buy too much materials.

Each bag has two sides (front and back). Like we mentioned, official bag dimension is 6×6 inches, so you need to have at least 1 inch more on each side for sewing purposes.

Currently most cornhole bags have only one color fabric., which is a bit boring. There are plenty beautiful and interesting fabric designs that you can use.

When calculating use 7.5 x 7.5 inch square dimension for each bag side. That means for each bag you need two 7.5 x 7.5″ squares of fabric.

Fabric is sold in 60″ wide roles, like the one on the image above. This means that in each line you can have 8 squares (8*7.5 = 60″).

So lets calculate how many meters of fabric role with 60″ width you need.

Lets say you want to create 60 bags. In each 7.5″ line you can have 8 bag sides and like we said previously, 2 squares are used for one bag. This basically means that for every 7.5 inch length of material you will get 4 bags.

If we divide 60 (number of bags we want to create) by 4 (number of bags that fit in 60″ width fabric role) we get number 15, which is the number of 7.5 inch lines.

Now we need to simply multiply width of each line by number of lines. 7.5 x 15 = 112.5 inches

We need 112.5″ of 60″ width fabric in order to make 60 bags.

Which translates to ~2.85 meters or ~9.35 feet.

Tools

Beside supplies you will need some basic tools to put it all together:

sewing tools for creating cornhole bags

  • Sewing machine and thread – this is the most important tools that you need to sew both sides all together
  • Pen – to mark where to cut the fabric
  • Sewing pins – this will help you keep the material in place before sewing
  • Scissors to cut the material – You can also use Rotary Cutter because it makes it much easier to cut in straight lines
  • Fabric cutting mat & cutting guide – to know exactly where to cut material
  • Digital kitchen scale – to know exactly how much dried corn you need put in each bag
  • Funnels – in order to precisely load the bags with corn

Putting it all together

Now that you have gathered all the necessary supplies and tools lets start with the project!

This is a brief overview of the steps involved:

  1. Prepare cardboard template
  2. Cut the fabric
  3. Prepare your sewing machine
  4. Sew front and back side
  5. Insert corn using funnel
  6. Zip the main opening

Cardboard template

First you need to print the bag template file so you can know exactly where to cut material.

You can download the bag template here.

Once you have printed the page cut out the grey area. Place the gray area over a cardboard and cut the cardboard following the edges of gray area template.

This will get you a nice cardboard template that you can use to precisely mark where to cut the fabric material.

Fabric cutting

Now that you have the cardboard template you need to carefully mark the fabric material. Use fabric pen to the draw cutting lines.

Make sure to mark cutting lines both horizontally and vertically. In other words, wherever you are going to make the cut make sure that you have previously marked it.

Once every cutting line is marked, use fabric scissors or rotary cutter to cut the fabric.

How to prepare sewing machine

This steps depends of the type of sewing machine that you have. But with almost every machine the first step is to disengage the needle so you can add a thread.

Most needles are disengaged by turning the rotating the hand wheel next to the needle.

Remove the bobbin, which is a small spool located under the sewing needle. Take it out of case and remove the thread that is inside.

Now its time to place a new thread that you are going to use for sewing. Simply place a new thread on top of your sewing machine, specifically on a spool pin.

Tug the thread and wind it around bobbin winding tension disc which is most likely located at the top of the sewing machine. If you are using a newer sewing machine then you probably have a diagram on how to complete this step.

Wind the bobbin with new thread and put it on a bobbin pin. Push the floor pedal to wind the thread, this will wind the bobbin with new thread. Cut the excess of thread and remove the bobbin from bobbin pin.

Sew front and back side

First you need to set up your sewing machine for straight stitch with medium length.

Place both square sides together, but place the cardboard template in the middle.

Mark on which side the open for inserting corn will be. The opening doesn’t have to be big, it can be 2 inches. Just enough to insert corn using small funnel.

Sew both sides using straight stitch, so that on each side the width and height is 6 inches.

Next to make it more sturdy, use zig-zag stitch on the outside of the straight stitch. This reduces the breakage and flexes the fabric.

Once you are finished with the sewing, simply trim the corners using fabric scissors to form nice corners.

Insert corn

Measure exactly 450 grams of dried corn using kitchen scale and add it to a plastic cup.

Using funnel carefully add corn to the bag.

Zip the opening

Using sewing machine simply add the last stitch and close the opening at the top of the bag that was used for inserting corn.

Now that you have finished the bag you can print your own cornhole team name logo on it. These type of printing machines are very expensive, if you want a quality print, so you can now take your bags to local print service and let them do the job for a small fee. Off course you need to provide them with a print file.

How to take care of cornhole bags

Learn how to take care of cornhole bags

Taking care of cornhole bags is very easy, just follow these suggestions:

  • If a bag is filled with corn then don’t get them wet because corn can decompose or grow mold
  • Don’t put it in microwave
  • Store in dry, cool and protected area because rats love corn
  • Storage place should not be exposed directly to sunlight, because the sun will fade bag colors
  • Don’t leave the bags outside unprotected, because animals might destroy them in order to eat the corn filling
  • Play on grass or wood rock, concrete boards can damage your bags

Cornhole bags vs pellets

Cornhole bags vs pellets

Neither is better, it comes down to which one your prefer.

Although both fillings have some pros and cons, the game performance differences are minor.

Die hard Cornholers swear by the corn filled bags. They claim that it drastically improves bag performance compared to pellet filled bags.

The first thing every Cornholer will argument about is the origin of name cornhole. And yes they are correct, cornhole means that the original bags should be filled with corn instead of plastic.

Once a corn filled bag lands on a board it breaks the corn inside, leaving a small dust behind. Corn filled bag supporters claim that this dust improves the sliding performance and helps the bag to reach higher point on cornhole board. They claim that this dusty effect drastically improves the gameplay.

Another problem with corn filled bags is that its not waterproof. Whenever your bag gets wet there is a great chance that the corn inside will decal. So if the bags get really dirty you can not wash them, you must replaced them with new ones.

That is why you need to watch out where and how you store them, because if you leave them outside on a rain the corn will decal or grow mold.

Unless you have a zipper on a bag. This way once your bags get dirty or wet, you can simply replace the corn filling with new one and clean the materials.

On the other hand, pellet filled bags don’t break down so there is nothing to create dust. These plastic pellets are water resistant so you can easily wash them or leave outside on rain.

These type of bags are more appropriate for tournaments because they last longer. So if you intend to organize cornhole tournament consider buying these pellet filled plastic bags.

However, if you invite players who are used to corn filled bag, simply tell them to bring their own bags. Like we said, some cornholers claim that these bags don’t slide as well as corn filled bags, so if you force someone to switch from corn filled to plastic filled bag then you are also forcing them to adjust throwing technique.

The debate will go on and on…

However, because of its light weight properties bags with plastic pellet fill are more appropriate for kids.

Its simple as that! Now its your turn 🙂

Have you created your own cornhole bags? Which filling do you prefer?

Feel free to share your tips and tricks and how you did it in the comment section bellow….

Also if you have any images of cool custom corn hole bags, feel free to contact us so we can feature your bag on this page. Off course we are more than happy to include your contact details if you are offering custom cornhole board creating services 🙂

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the regulation weight for cornhole bags?

The regulation weight for a cornhole bag is between 14 to 16 ounces. The bag must be filled with approximately 2 cups of feed corn kernels or plastic pellets. The fabric must be durable.

Can I use non-regulation size bags for private games?

Yes, you can use non-regulation size bags for private games. Cornhole bags are available in 1,2,4,6 inches size.

Which colors are best for cornhole bags?

You must use sharp colors for making cornhole bags. A set of 4 bags must have an entirely different color and not matching shades. For example, if you are making 16 bags, a rational choice will be to use yellow, red, blue, and green. Your bag’s color must be different from the board’s color as well. You must avoid using shiny and glossy finishes if you play outdoors. You can also go for designed fabrics or different colors for each side. However, one set of 4 bags must be identical and unique.

Is it a good idea to make DIY bags or buy from the market?

If you are a frequent cornholer and like playing on personalized boards and bags, it is a great way to make your bags. However, if you don’t have the required tools with you and don’t plan on starting a DIY weekend routine anytime soon, then you would be better off with readymade bags. Moreover, readymade bags have a lot of designs and come in high-quality fabrics.

 

Leave a Comment