I was ordering some fabric from Fabric Spark the other day and had a quick look around the site while I was there, and came across these adorable pirates from Makower. I had no idea what I would use them for, but as a typical fabric addict, I quickly talked myself into the purchase, figuring I may as well throw in a half yard because I’m paying for shipping anyway.  

They arrived pretty quickly and as I was gazing at the fabric, an idea popped into my head. Don’t you just love it when that happens?! I decided to make them into bean bags and create a tic tac toe game with them. The x’s would be the skull and cross bones, and the o’s would be the pirate faces, or “aarrgh’s” if you channel your inner pirate.

This was such a quick project. The white border is 1/2″ wide, so it left a 1/4″ seam allowance for each bag. I made sure to pair up one skull and cross-bones with one pirate face for each bag, and made 10 bags, enough for either team to win.

Originally, I was going to use actual dried beans, as I’ve done with previous bean bags, but I had visions of my outdoor loving boys sneaking the pirates outside and ending up with stinky bags, so I decided to opt for the poly pellets. I used my 50% off coupon at Michael’s for a 2lb bag, and it was well under $10, with lots left over.

For the board, I used a foam core board (again, from Michael’s with a coupon), and washi tape.

The game was such a hit! My boys refuse to call out “Aaaarrgh!” when they win, but that doesn’t stop me. Of course, you can make your own set with any 2 different ideas, but the pirates came in the perfect size, already measured, making it extra easy. Once they were done with tic tac toe, they set up some buckets for a bean bag toss and I was so pleased that they found a double duty for the project.

My son went to a summer day camp earlier this month and each day he needed to bring a towel and change of clothes, plus a few extras. It was a tight squeeze in his Not-So-Tiny Explorer, so I decided to quickly make him a Dallas. I asked around the internet and determined that the medium would be the right size for him (he’s 7). Since I decided fairly last minute, I skipped the exterior and interior zippered pockets to save some time. I chose Libs Elliott’s True Love fabric from Sitka Fabrics, and love that it turned out to be gender neutral and fun. If you are looking for a quick sew for an overnight or weekend bag, Dallas is a great choice!