Why 29 × 29 matters
Large square pegboards for standard (midi) fuse beads have a grid of 29 by 29 pegs: Hama’s large square board has 841 pegs, and Perler’s large square boards are 29 beads a side, about 14.5 cm (5.7 in) across, and snap together along their edges. CraftPatterns plans every fuse bead design around that grid. On the chart pages of the PDF, the bold lines fall every 29 beads rather than every 10, so each bold square on the chart is exactly one physical board. You can build board by board without counting across a join.
Bead sizes change the physical size of a board but not the planning maths:
| Bead size | Approximate pitch | One 29-bead board edge |
|---|---|---|
| Mini | about 2.5 mm | about 7.5 cm |
| Midi | 5 mm | about 14.5 cm |
| Maxi | 10 mm | about 29 cm |
Board grids do vary between makers and especially between bead sizes, so check what your own boards have before you start. If yours are a different size, you can still use the chart; just count to your board’s edge instead of relying on the bold lines.
Working out the board layout
The number of boards is simply:
- Boards across = width in beads ÷ 29, rounded up
- Boards down = height in beads ÷ 29, rounded up
- Total boards = boards across × boards down
The default width in the fuse bead pattern generator is 58 beads, which fits exactly two boards across. Some useful sizes:
| Design size (beads) | Boards across × down | Total boards | Finished size with midi beads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 × 29 | 1 × 1 | 1 | 14.5 × 14.5 cm |
| 58 × 58 | 2 × 2 | 4 | 29 × 29 cm |
| 70 × 45 | 3 × 2 | 6 | 35 × 22.5 cm |
| 87 × 58 | 3 × 2 | 6 | 43.5 × 29 cm |
| 116 × 87 | 4 × 3 | 12 | 58 × 43.5 cm |
Here is how the designs in our own library break down:
Notice that 70 × 45 and 87 × 58 both need six boards. If you are already committed to a board layout, it often makes sense to grow the design to fill it, which gives you more detail at no extra board cost. The bead count calculator shows boards, beads and finished size together, and accounts for designs that do not fill every peg.
Planning on paper
Some people like to sketch the layout first, especially for wall pieces or room signs. A printable sheet of square pegboard paper is handy for marking which board holds which part of the design.
Building across several boards
- Lay out all the boards first. Connect them in the layout given on the PDF cover page (for example, 3 across × 2 down). Put them on a tray, a cutting board or a large book so you can move the whole thing without disturbing beads.
- Work one board at a time. Fill a complete board before moving to the next. The bold lines on the chart match the board edges, so it is easy to see where you are.
- Start with outlines. Placing the outline colour first gives you landmarks; filling in between them is then quick.
- Use the colour highlight. In the tool or in the stitch tracker, clicking a colour in the key highlights every bead of that colour. Working colour by colour keeps you from searching the tub repeatedly.
- Check the joins. Before ironing, look along each board edge. A bead sitting slightly high at a join is easy to fix now and hard to fix later.
If you are working with Hama® beads but the chart was designed for Perler® colours, the key lists the nearest alternative for each colour, and the Perler to Hama converter lets you check any code.
Ironing: careful, simple steps
Ironing fuses the beads together, and it is where most accidents and most disappointments happen. Always follow the instructions supplied with your beads and your iron, because heat settings and recommended papers vary. The steps below describe a common approach.
Safety first
- An adult should do the ironing, or closely supervise an older child who is ready for it. Hot irons, hot paper and freshly fused beads can all cause burns.
- Work on a stable, heat-safe surface away from the edge of the table, with the iron’s cable out of reach of small hands.
- Keep the room well ventilated and avoid overheating the beads. If you see smoke or smell burning plastic, stop.
- Turn the iron off and put it somewhere safe to cool as soon as you finish.
The fusing itself
- Cover the beads with ironing paper (often supplied with beads) or baking parchment.
- Use a medium setting with no steam, unless your bead instructions say otherwise.
- Move the iron slowly in small circles across the whole piece. On a multi-board design, work evenly so no area gets much more heat than another.
- Lift a corner of the paper to check progress. Many people aim for beads that have fused to their neighbours but still show an open centre hole.
- Let it cool slightly, then carefully lift the fused piece off the boards. With large designs, slide a thin board under it rather than peeling it up.
- Some people iron the reverse side as well for extra strength.
- Let the piece cool completely, flat, with a heavy book on top of the paper. This is the single best way to prevent curling.
Fusing large designs
Very large pieces can be hard to heat evenly. Some crafters iron board by board under one continuous sheet of paper, moving across in a set order. Others fuse lightly all over first, then give a second, firmer pass. If something goes wrong, small gaps can usually be re-ironed once the piece is cool.
Storing and displaying finished pieces
Fused designs are surprisingly sturdy once cool, but large multi-board pieces can flex at the joins if they were fused lightly. Store them flat, ideally between two pieces of card. For display, many crafters glue a large design to a thin backing board or frame it behind glass, which also stops dust collecting in the bead holes. Small pieces such as coasters and keyrings benefit from being ironed on both sides for extra strength.
Before you buy beads
Every fuse bead PDF includes a colour key with exact bead counts, and the CSV shopping list is useful if you are ordering by colour. The bead count calculator also converts the total into 1,000-bead packs. Buying a few extra beads of each main colour helps, because some always roll under furniture.