How to make Perler bead designs (2.6 mm mini fuse beads)

2.6 mm vs 5 mm beads

Troubleshooting

Beads don't stick together or fall apart

The heat is too low or the time too short. Add 5 seconds at a time and check.

The holes disappear and it melts too much

The heat is too high or the time too long. Lower it to medium and iron for less time.

The piece warps

Put something flat and heavy on it while hot and leave it until it has cooled completely.

Beads stick to the paper and won't come off

This tends to happen when you peel it off before it has cooled. Let it cool fully before peeling.

In-depth articles

• How to Iron Perler Beads: Temperature and How Long (2.6 mm)Iron fuse beads on medium heat (140–160 °C / 284–320 °F) for about 10–20 seconds per spot. Mini beads (2.6 mm) heat up quickly, so stick to medium heat, short passes and cooling under a weight for a clean finish.
• Choosing photos for fuse bead patterns | Pattern Maker tipsA bead pattern is your photo converted into a grid of tiny squares. The larger and brighter the subject and the simpler the background, the better the pattern turns out.
• How to make a fuse bead keychainTurn a mini bead piece into a keychain and you can clip it to your bag and take it anywhere. The two things that matter most: iron both sides thoroughly, and leave a hole for the hardware.
• 2.6 mm mini vs 5 mm midi fuse beads: the differencesFuse beads come in two main sizes: 5 mm standard (midi) and 2.6 mm mini. With the same number of beads, a mini piece comes out about half the size.
• How to make fuse bead art: a beginner's guide (2.6 mm)Making fuse bead art takes four steps: get a pattern, place the beads on a pegboard, cover with ironing paper and iron on medium, then cool under a weight. Start with a small pattern of 16–29 beads square and you will finish in 30 minutes to 2 hours.
• Making large patterns | How to join and split pegboardsPegboards for 2.6 mm beads are usually 29 × 29 pegs. For bigger patterns, line up several pegboards and build them as one piece. mamepix printable PDFs include pages split by pegboard.
• Fuse bead problems and fixes | Warping, not fusing, meltingMost fuse bead problems come down to how you heat and how you cool. The basic fixes: if it warps, rewarm it and cool it under a weight; if it won't hold together, iron a little longer.
• How to make fuse bead names | Name plates and keychainsMake each letter 10–14 beads tall and a name reads clearly even in 2.6 mm beads. Link the letters with an outline or a “plate” (square background) so the piece holds together and stays sturdy.
• Storing fuse bead art and organizing your beadsFuse bead pieces don't like heat or direct sunlight, so store them flat somewhere cool and shady. Sort your beads into cases labeled by color code and they'll be ready for your next pattern.
• What are MARD color codes? | Reading 2.6 mm bead codesA MARD color code is a letter plus a number: the letter is the color series (A = yellow/orange, H = white/gray/black…) and the number is the shade. mamepix patterns and single-color beads all use them.
• Where to buy 2.6 mm fuse beads | Stores and online shopsTo try it out, a dollar store or craft store is fine. For photo patterns with many colors, online shops that sell by color code are handier. The three things to compare are color range, amount per color, and whether color codes are available.
• What age are fuse beads for? Ages by bead size and safetymamepix 2.6 mm beads are for ages 6 and up. For young children, larger 5 mm or 10 mm beads they can pick up with their fingers are a better fit. With 2.6 mm beads, children up to elementary school age should work with an adult, and an adult should do the ironing.
• How to Make 3D Perler Beads: Boxes, Dice, Stars and Hearts3D fuse bead pieces are made from several flat parts put together. The two easiest ways are slotting two pieces with an empty middle column into a cross, and building a box from six panels. Both work with 2.6 mm beads.
• Fuse bead brands and color codes | MARD, Perler and HamaEvery fuse bead brand has its own color codes, so the same number can mean a different color. Check which brand a pattern's codes are for, and use a conversion chart to find close colors in other brands.
• Turning photos into pixel art | Pixel count, colors, photosFor clean pixel art, convert a photo with a large subject at 32–64 pixels wide and about 8–16 colors. Fewer pixels give a retro game look; more pixels look closer to the photo.
• 60 Perler Bead Ideas: Cute, Easy and 3D (Free Patterns)Not sure what to make with Perler beads? Start with a tiny pattern of about 10 beads, then move on to keychains, 3D projects and pieces to display. All 60 ideas here are free mamepix patterns you can make right away.