Alphabet Bean Bags

I made these alphabet bean bags for my son, and they were actually pretty easy to make. The hardest part for me was sewing on all the letters... 'G' and 'Q' are probably the hardest. But, I think they still turned out okay. We'll use these for sorting different things that start with each letter, spelling things out, or just tossing them around and having fun! :) Here's how to make them:

First, you'll need two square pieces of fabric for each bean bag. I didn't measure my squares. I thought, since they're bean bags they didn't have to be perfect, and I wasn't worried about whether or not they were each the same size bean bag... Use a different color fabric to cut out the letter, then sew it on one piece of fabric using the small zigzag stitch. If you want, you could also do a lowercase letter on the other piece of fabric, then you would have an uppercase letter on one side and a lowercase letter on the other. 

Next, you'll need some type of "pouch" to hold the beans on the inside of the bag. You can make any type of fabric pouch using scrap fabric, or anything you have on hand. Since no one will see the inside of the bag, I used some old, but clean socks. I just cut off the toe/foot part and the above the ankle part, and discarded the heel part. For the toe/foot section, I just filled it up with beans, then sewed the other end closed. For the above the ankle part, I sewed one end, then filled it up with beans, then sewed the other end closed. I tried a few different "fillings" for my bean bags... rice, lentils, tiny pasta, and Israeli couscous (pretty much anything I had in the pantry). I like the way the Israeli couscous sounds/feels best, but you can use whatever you like. :)

After you've made your bean pouches, sew the two pieces of fabric together, right sides facing each other. Only sew three sides of the square, leaving one side open for "stuffing". 

Turn the bag right side out, then stuff with the bean pouch. 

Fold in the edges of the fabric, and pin together to prepare for sewing the final side. 

Sew the last side across... 

Then you've made a bean bag! :)

Repeat for 25 more letters... Then breathe a sigh of relief when finally done! ;)

Yay! Now it's learning time!

Have fun!