Homemade: Otedama

Otedama are small Japanese beanbags.  They are most commonly used to play a rather complicated jacks-type game.  I've never actually seen any of our cousins play this game, but I have seen these charming little toys around the house.  I found some tutorials here and here, so I decided to try my hand and making these little gems.  Here's how it turned out:

As you can see, I also made a matching draw-string bag to keep the otedama in.  Traditionally, the otedama are quite small, but I made mine a bit bigger (a bit more American-sized, no?).  One great thing about these is that you need very little fabric to make them, so it's a great project for your leftover scraps.  The fabric combination possibilities are endless!  I made several sets to give as Christmas gifts - they are perfect for either gender.  Try them out if you are sewing-inclined and send us pics so we can see!