Craft it with Hama Beads: Easy and fun patterns for gifts and accessories from fuse beads

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Hama beads can be expensive and sometimes it's tempting to look at the cheaper non-branded alternatives. In general I'd advise steering clear of these imitations, as the quality is very poor and they can be difficult and disappointing to work with. There are limitless designs you can make with melty beads! You can make basic items like ornaments and coasters (because they are plastic, they repel water!). You can glue them together. You can make 3D items. And there’s no mess.

If you are new to Hama beads I would recommend starting with the Midi beads. You can buy these beads in large tubs of beads in a range of colours, and the tubs often include a few pegboards to get you started. I have also on some of our designs used Mod Podge to coat over the finished product just to give it a bit extra strength. When Hama Beads Can Be Used For kids, they’re great for exploring creativity. But children will also develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. You can also use them for color recognition and basic counting. They are recommended by occupational therapists for working on grasp and strengthening fingers.

Whether you're a seasoned crafter or just starting out, perler beads offer a world of possibilities for unleashing your creativity. Create your design: Place individual beads onto the pegboard, following the chosen pattern. For young children, a small sample design or simple shapes like hearts and stars are a great way to start. Perler Beads– This set is a great perler bead starter set or this starter set with most of the colors you’ll need. I also recommend getting some neutral colors like this set that are great for creating people and faces as well as a set of grays. I have also bought Perler branded beads when on holiday in the US and found that these work very well, although they are slightly more brittle in texture once ironed. Perler beads are available in a wider range of unusual colours as well as striped beads, so they are good for adding a bit of interest to a piece.

It's a matter of personal preference as to how much you iron the beads. I like to leave the holes in the beads visible but some people like a smoother look. Just be careful not to over iron as this will make the beads impossible to remove from the board, and may warp and damage the board. With your eyelet tool, punch a hole in your fruit shapes, insert and affix the eyelet as per manufacturers instructions. You may need to cut away a little bit of the plastic to accommodate the eyelet.

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In this guide, we’ve covered what exactly perler beads are and how they work, how to get started with them and the best supplies to buy, as well as some fab inspiration for your first project. What are perler beads? Hama bead bowls are brilliant they are easy to make and look great. First grease round the out side of a small heat proof bowl the pour in the Hama beads and flatten them out and push them up the sides.