Making fun bean bags

Instead of reading about crafts, I actually got crafty and made some bean bags!  I made two sets of four.

stiched bean bags inside out

I started by cutting 5″ squares of a blue denim fabric I had from another project.  It would be fun to cut up some old jeans to use, but the jeans I had were thicker than I wanted for the bean bags.

I wanted to make the bean bags a little special so I cut 5″ strips of grosgrain  ribbon, one for each bag.

After sewing each ribbon onto a square of fabric, I placed the fronts together and sewed a seam between 1/4″ and 1/2″ around the square.  I left an opening so I could turn the bags right side out.   I didn’t back stitch around the opening, but next time I will.  It was a pain to get my stitches back in order before I finished the bags.

finished bean bagsI turned the bags right side out, and tried several different fillings: small white beans, corn, rice, and polystyrene weighted pellets.  I liked the weight and the sound of the corn the best.  I made a funnel from sturdy paper and put slightly less than 2/3 cup of corn kernels into each bag.

I finished the bags by stitching all the way around the edge of each bag.  I really don’t like sewing by hand and this way looks neat and finished.

Why studded snow tires drive me nuts

First, there’s the annoying clicking noise they make as they drive past you; like a dog running on tile that needs its nails clipped.  Second, they destroy the roads; meaning you and I have to pay more taxes to fix the torn up roads.  Third, they only improve traction for “glare ice” road conditions; that’s one, maybe two days a year where I live.  “Research on studded tires consistently shows that vehicles equipped with studded tires require a longer stopping distance on wet or dry pavement than do vehicles equipped with standard tires.”

One more time with lots of feeling: “Tire studs reduce the full contact between a tire’s rubber compound and the pavement.”