Bat fuse bead pattern

About this design

The bat is drawn with wings fully open, so it reads instantly as a silhouette even from across a room. Its round black head has two pointed ears, two Yellow eyes and a pair of White fangs. The wings are Purple, outlined in Black, with two black “finger” bones in each wing and a scalloped lower edge that gives the classic bat shape. Only four colours are needed: 133 Black, 68 Purple, 2 Yellow and 2 White.

Placing the beads

At 29 × 15 the bat fits across one large square pegboard with room to spare. Start with the black body and head in the centre, then lay the outline of each wing and the two bones, and finally fill the purple. The wing tips are thin, so press the end beads firmly onto their pegs before ironing.

Ironing and finishing

Ironing is a job for an adult. Cover the beads with ironing paper, use a dry iron on medium and move it in slow circles until the beads just begin to merge, then let the bat cool and press the back. Cool it flat under a book so the long wings stay straight. Hang several bats in a window with thread, add a magnet to the back, or swap the purple for glow-in-the-dark beads for a bat that shines at night.

Colour plan

Perler 80-19018 Black does the most work, 65% of the 205 beads, followed by Perler 80-19007 Purple at 33%. Perler 80-19003 Yellow (2) and Perler 80-19001 White (2) are used only a little: small details worth marking on the chart so you don't miss them. 53% of the grid is left empty.

Working notes

All the beads touch along a full side, so it irons into one solid piece.