Sewing Tutorial: Beach/Garden Bean Bag Target Game

Perfect for a little competition – a fun bean bag target game….it’s time to get practising! 

First published back in 2017, this post has had a little makeover.

This target game will provide hours of fun for all the family, and it can also be easily taken out and about with you as it all fits into a handy drawstring bag.

Fabric was gifted by The Craft Cotton Company.

Beach/Garden Bean Bag Target Game Sewing Tutorial

Materials 

• The Craft Cotton Company Fat quarter set in funky dot (for the bean bags).
• The Craft Cotton Company Fat quarter set in brights (for the target circles).
• The Craft Cotton Company fabric – Bunting by Victoria Louise cotton print, 2 pieces 75x75cm (for the target mat).
• Filling for beanbags (dried beans, rice, plastic beanbag pellets).
• Scissors.
• Thread.
• Tape measure.
• Compass to draw your circles, or something round such as a plate the size you need.
• Pins.
• Needle.
• Tape measure.
• Paper.

BEACH/GARDEN BEAN BAG TARGET GAME SEWING TUTORIAL

Making the beanbags

1. Make a paper template 10x12cm, this includes a 0.5cm seam allowance.
2. Cut 10 pieces of fabric from 4 different fat quarter colours. This will give you 5 beanbags from each colour. 
3. Place two pieces of the same fabric right sides together and sew around leaving a 5cm gap for turning.  Turn out the right way, half fill with your choice of filling then slip stitch the seam closed. 

Making the drawstring bag 

1. Take the remaining unused fat quarter and fold it in half.  Cut off the bottom part to make it 35cm long. 

2. Place the fabric right sides together and starting 6cm down from the top of the bag, sew down the side then along the bottom.  

3. Turn the bag the right way around, now fold in the top edge of the bag by 1cm. Next fold over the side edge seam fabric at the front and back by 0.5cm so no raw edges are left visible at the sides.  

4. Fold over the top edge again, this time folding it in half so it touches where you started sewing down the side of the bag, pin as you go and then sew along the bottom edge of this folded section to fix in place.  

5. Thread through your ribbon – I used the ribbon that came with the fat quarter set. To seal the raw ribbon edges fold over the end a few times and sew to seal, repeat for the other end. 

Making The Target mat

1. Cut out the target shapes, first making paper templates by either drawing around an object of the correct size (I used different sized plates) or using a compass.
   • Big circle target:
     • Biggest circle (circle 3): diameter 42cm. 
     • Circle 2: diameter 28cm.
     • Circle 1: diameter 16cm. 
   • Medium circle target:
     • Biggest circle (circle 2): diameter 28cm.
     • Circle 1: diameter 18cm. 
   • Smaller circle target: 
     • Biggest circle (circle 2): diameter 18cm. 
     • Circle 1: diameter 8cm.
   • Single target:
     • Circle diameter: 16cm. 

2. Lay out the biggest circles of each of the target sets in place on the mat (making sure you don’t put them too close to the edges or they will end up in the seam), and pin in place. 
   • Sew around the edge of these targets with a zigzag stitch. I opted for quite a tight zigzag stitch to minimize any fraying of the edges. 

3. Sew the remaining targets into place working from the biggest to smallest circle on each target.  You can also sew on point values on to the circles if you like, I opted not to so I could vary the points for each target. 

4. Place the front and back mat pieces right side together, sew all around the edge leaving a 5cm gap for turning.  Turn and slip stitch closed.

The tutorial can also be found over on The Craft Cotton Company blog along with lots of other great tutorials.