top of page
Writer's pictureCraft Cotton Co

Fishing Game


Perfect for playing on the beach, in the garden, or even in the house on a rainy day! This fishing game will provide lots of fun for everyone this summer.


What you will need:

  • Wool/string for creating a circle

  • Pencil

  • Scissors

  • Paper

  • Pins

  • Thread

  • 20 small metal rings (12mm in diameter)

  • 4 Garden canes for rods

  • 4 pieces 15cm long of pipe cleaner

  • String/wool for the rod– 4 lengths at your desired length (I opted for 50 cm, as they can be shortened if required by winding the string around the cane)

  • 1.5m The Craft Cotton Company’s Blue Whale cotton print

  • The Craft Cotton Company’s Bright Spots fat quarter set

  • 53cm ribbon (I used the ribbon tying the fat quarter together)

  • N.B. you could use metal washers for the hoops and attach a magnet to the string on the rod if you prefer.

First, make the circle game mat:

Cut the whale fabric so that you have 2 70cm x 70cm pieces. Take a piece of the 70cm x 70 cm whale fabric, fold it into 1/4.

Draw a curved line on this piece; I used a piece of wool and a pencil to do this. Take a piece of wool and pin one end to the middle folded corner, wrap the other end around a pencil so that the pencil lines up with the bottom edge. Drag from this bottom edge up to the top edge to make the curve.

Cut out and repeat for the other 70cm x 70cm piece.

Place the two pieces right-sides together and sew around using a 1cm seam allowance and leaving a 6cm gap for turning. Turn the right way out and slip stitch the gap closed.


To make the sea creatures:

Draw and cut out patterns for your sea creatures, they could all be fishes if you prefer, or any other sea creatures you like. I opted for sharks, fishes, starfish, and whales.


Using 4 of the fat quarters, cut out 2 pieces of each stencil (with a 0.5cm seam allowance) so that you have one piece for the front and one piece for the back. Make sure that when you cut out the second piece that you cut it the right way around.


Place the fabric right sides together and sew around the edge leaving a 3cm gap for turning.

Fill with rice or dried beans, then slip stitch closed.

Take one of the metal hoops and sew onto the front of the sea creature.


Making the drawstring storage bag:

Take one of the remaining fat quarters and fold it in half.

Cut the bottom part of the fat quarter making it 35cm long.

Fold the fabric right-sides together. Starting 6cm down from the top of the bag, sew down the side then along the bottom.


At the top of the bag, fold over the raw edge (inwards) by 1cm and iron.

Fold the unsewn side seams (the 6cm part) over the 1cm fold and iron.


Now fold over the top edge again, this time folding so that it touches where you started sewing down the side of the bag. Pin as you go.


Sew along the bottom edge of this folded section to fix in place.

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.

Finally, make the rod:

To make your hooks fold a piece of pipe cleaner in half and twist around the end. Bend up the bottom to make the hook shape.

Take your length of wool/string and wrap it around the top of the hook. Tie to hold and then tie to the top of the rod.


© By Lesley Foster at Hook, Stitch, Sew for The Craft Cotton Company 2016

bottom of page