Ladybug fuse bead pattern

About this design

A ladybird is one of the simplest animals to make in beads because it is round and symmetrical. The shell is Red, split down the middle by a line of Black, with two Black spots on each side, one near the top and one lower down. The black head sits at the top with two White eyes, and two stepped antennae curl up from it. Because the left and right halves mirror each other exactly, it is a good first pattern for children who are learning to count across a pegboard.

You will need roughly 98 Red, 89 Black and 2 White beads. Buy a few spares of each, because the odd bead always rolls away.

Placing the beads

At 17 × 15 beads the design fits easily on one large square pegboard. Lay the black outline and the centre line first; the red then fills two simple halves.

Ironing and finishing

Ironing is a job for an adult. Cover the beads with ironing paper, set a dry iron to medium and move it in slow circles until the beads just begin to merge, then let it cool, turn it over and press the back. Cool it flat under a heavy book so it stays straight. At about 8.5 × 7.5 cm in midi beads it makes a sweet magnet, a badge or a garden-party decoration.

Colour plan

Perler 80-19005 Red does the most work, 52% of the 189 beads, followed by Perler 80-19018 Black at 47%. Perler 80-19001 White (2) is used only a little: small details worth marking on the chart so you don't miss them. 26% of the grid is left empty.

Working notes

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