Bumblebee fuse bead pattern

About this design

This bee is drawn side-on so the stripes read clearly: a black tail with a little stinger, two thick black bands and a big Cheddar head end with one eye, a tiny smile and a pink cheek. The bottom row of the body switches to Honey, a slightly deeper gold, which rounds the belly without needing extra outline. Two wings sit on top in Robin’s Egg blue with a few White beads as a shine, and a single-bead antenna curls up to a small knob.

You will need about 133 Black, 104 Cheddar, 36 Robin’s Egg, 18 Honey, 6 White and 2 Blush.

Placing the beads

The design is 24 beads wide and 18 tall, so it leaves plenty of room on a large square pegboard; you could even fit a second, smaller project underneath. Work the black stripes first, then the yellow between them, then the wings. The antenna is only one bead wide, so press each bead down firmly and check from the side that it sits straight on its peg before ironing.

Ironing and finishing

Have an adult iron it on a medium setting under ironing paper, moving slowly over the antenna so it fuses well — thin parts are the first to come apart if they are under-ironed. Iron both sides and cool it flat under a book. At around 12 × 9 cm the bee suits a brooch back, a plant-pot stake glued to a craft stick, or a garden-themed party favour.

Colour plan

Perler 80-19018 Black does the most work, 44% of the 299 beads, followed by Perler 80-19057 Cheddar at 35%. Perler 80-19001 White (6) and Perler 80-19063 Blush (2) are used only a little: small details worth marking on the chart so you don't miss them. 31% of the grid is left empty.

Working notes

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