Wednesday 12 June 2013

End Of Year Beanbags

My 2nd grader wanted me to make some beanbags / rice bags for her teacher as an end of year gift. She picked out the fabric and I got to work.



If you sew, even a little bit, you can figure these out for yourselves. But for those of you liking a little direction, here is a tutorialito* on how to sew 2 squares together and call it a gift.

Cut pairs of squares - these are 6":


With right sides facing each other, sew around 3 edges about 1/4" from the edge, twice, to give them a little extra strength. Trim the bottom corners if you feel like it:


Fold over about 1/2" at the open edge and iron it down:


Turn it right side out (the folded down bit is now on the inside):


Pour in enough rice so that the bag is about 1/3rd full when it's standing up, or a teeny bit more.

While the bag is upright, pin across the rice to stop it from pouring out when you sew the opening closed:


Sew a narrow rectangle across the top, about 1/2", and remove the pins:


Tie the ends into knots and bury the threads.

Ta-dah! Super speedy little gifts!




Okay, now the small print :)

You want to watch out for two things when you sew this up:
1. the weight of the rice can make the package hard to control as you try to sew a neat line, and
2. the corners might need need a little prodding from a tapestry needle (or awl of choice) to get the fabric moving under the foot.

But don't let that get in your way!
Just go do it!

These rice bags can be juggled, balanced, warmed up in the microwave on cold-hand days, or just piled on a table for some eye candy.

Or worn as decorative head-gear.



*thanks Sew Hungry, for the lexicon!


Linking up with Freshly Pieced, Live a Colorful Life, Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts!

20 comments:

Marla said...

The tutorilito meme is spreading bwhahahaha. I nearly laughed out loud when I read "or how to sew two pieces of fabric together and call it a gift" so great!!

Anna said...

Cute little bean bags :) and so easy to make! Makes me wish I lived somewhere colder so I could actually use little hand warmers... Oh well! Maybe I'll make some anyway :)

Susan at TheBoredZombie.com said...

Neat and quick indeed. I'm pretty sure I've seen that blueberry fabric somewhere... I think a friend bought it when we were at a LQS.

audrey said...

Love the head gear.:) Cute idea for a teacher and your fabric choices are great!

Created by Kathi said...

thanks for making a tutorial... I can sew but I prefer to see how others do it too! Love the bags and the special tips you included in the small print! Kathi

Julie said...

Fun! What a good idea! I love the fabric too, so fun!

Anonymous said...

H! These are super cute! Your fabrics are fantastic! I love blueberries and because don't have any here I had to paper piece some. Thank you for your visit and comment on my blog! Teje

Heidi said...

What a great fruit bowl they make!

Anonymous said...

What a fun idea!! And your 2nd grader is having fun too.

Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation said...

Cute!! As a teacher myself I can say that I'm sure she'll be thrilled! By the way- I just started a new link party yesterday- Needle and Thread Thursday for quilting/sewing. It's open through today so you should hop overand link up this adorable creation!

:) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

Stella Nemeth said...

They were pretty, they were sort of practical since they can be used to warm stuff, and they weren't something like candy or bath salts. I'm sure she loved them, just because a bowl of them is pretty.

Pattilou said...

Good for you. As a former teacher I would have appreciated these so much. Much more colorful than wadded up paper shooting about the room! LOL!

Sara said...

I was talking to a friend about bean bags the other day and she menfioned that people actually buy 4 bean bags as a set and will pay $30 for them!! We were goofing saying we should put ourselves into business!

Live a Colorful Life said...

Haha. Tutorialito. Great idea, though. And your daughter is a very cute model.

Janine @ Rainbow Hare said...

Great end of year gifts and I like that they double as a hat!

Paula@TheSassyQuilter said...

Those are perfect fabrics for bean bags! So cute.

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

Great idea! I can think of so many uses for these. Thanks for sharing.

Happy Turtle said...

I've been wondering about rice bags - they're still a new concept for me! Thanks for sharing.
Carol

Sarah Craig said...

Those are so cute, Elisheva! I love the fabrics you chose. And thanks for the tutorial! Whoop whoop!!

Adventurous Quilter said...

I love this, I used to make these when my boys were young, but your fabric choices are great!