Supplies
Tools
Materials
- Perler beads
- also called fuse beads or Hama beads
- standard perler beads are about 0,5 cm in diameter: you can also buy 'biggie beads' for kids, these are about double the size and are easier to hold.
- Ironing paper
- One sheet can be used multiple times.
- Peg board
- these come in all sorts of shapes and sizes
- 'biggie beads' do not fit on a standard peg board, you must use a 'biggie bead' peg board.
All supplies are available at craft stores, toy stores or online
Directions
2D Perler beads creations
- Pre-heat the iron to medium heat.
- If using a template, place this under the peg board.
- Use tweezers to poisition perler beads on the peg board, either following the pattern or free-styling.
- When you have finished the design, cover with ironing paper.
- Move the iron in circular motions for about 15 seconds until the beads are fused together.
- Allow to cool.
- Remove the peg board and turn the design over.
- Cover with ironing paper and iron the other side, again for about 15 seconds.
- This video shows how to place the beads onto a hexagonal peg board with a Christmas candy cane pattern:
This video shows how to iron the pattern:
3D Perler beads creations
- Create a 2D perler bead creation as explained above.
- NB: for 3D creations, only iron for about 10 seconds, as overly-fused beads are difficult to put together.
- Simply glue the two 2D creations together with a dab of PVA glue.
- Some 3D creations can be made through the 'tab and slot' method, in which case glue is not required. This means you must co-ordinate the 2D pieces to ensure that tabs will fit into slots.
Add glitter to your perler beads
- To add glitter to your perler bead creation, simply sprinkly fine glittler onto the beads before ironing.
To repair a perler bead creation
- If your perler bead creation snaps, put it back together in the peg board.
- Cover with ironing paper.
- Iron in circular motions along the crack for about 15 seconds: this should fuse the two broken parts back together.
- For more information, watch the video:
Tips
- Perler beads are not edible! Ensure small children are not left unattended with them.
- Find lots of great patterns here.
- Why not attach a magnet, key chain or hanging hook to give your perler bead creation a practical function as well?
- Bear in mind that 'biggie beads' take about 20-30 seconds to fuse together, so allow a little more time when ironing them.