~ ALL GUIDES ~
MakeBead Guides
Every guide on MakeBead, grouped by craft. The two interactive guides are the place to start: short lessons with pictures you can click, drag and try. The rest answer one question each, from how hot the iron should be to which bead brand to buy.
Start here
Perler & fuse beads
Photo to Perler pattern →Placing, ironing and finishing Perler, Hama and Artkal beads, and what to make with them.
- InteractiveHow to make Perler beadsSixteen interactive lessons, from choosing a first design to ironing, cooling and fixing problems.
- How to iron Perler beadsHeat, time, paper and pressure, and what to do when the holes close or beads pop off.
- How to melt Perler beads: 5 waysIron, oven, hair straightener or heat gun: the settings, timing and catches of each.
- How to make 3D Perler beadsPlan flat panels, fuse them and glue them into boxes, mushrooms and standing figures.
- Perler bead keychainsLayout, ironing and four ways to attach the ring so the keychain lasts.
- How to make Perler bead patternsThree ways to make your own pattern: from a photo, on graph paper or in a pixel art app.
- What are Perler beads?What they are made of, the four sizes, how fusing works and whether they are safe.
- Perler vs Hama vs ArtkalSizes, color ranges, pegboards and price compared, with a verdict on which to buy.
- Beginner Perler bead patternsSmall grids, few colors and simple shapes: the easiest first projects.
- 50+ Perler bead ideasCute, easy, mini, 3D and seasonal designs for every skill level.
Pixel art
Pixel art converter →Drawing pixel art by hand, ideas to draw, and pixel art without a drawing app.
- InteractiveHow to make pixel artNineteen interactive lessons: canvas size, lines, color, shading, dithering and outlines.
- 60+ pixel art ideasCute, easy and cool things to draw, with 16×16 and 32×32 starting grids.
- Halloween pixel art27 free designs to edit, download or make in Perler beads and cross stitch.
- Pixel art in Google Sheets & ExcelSquare cells, conditional formatting and a photo turned into a paint-by-number sheet.
Kandi & pony beads
Kandi pattern maker →Pony bead patterns and kandi bracelets: singles, cuffs and 3D pieces.
Cross stitch & diamond painting
Cross stitch pattern maker →Stitching from a chart, and diamond painting from the first drill to the finished canvas.
- Cross stitch for beginnersWhat to buy, the basic stitch, starting without a knot and reading a chart.
- Needlepoint vs cross stitchFabric, stitches, thread and finished look compared, and which is easier to start.
- What is diamond painting?How the coded canvas and resin drills work, and what you need to start.
- How to do diamond paintingKit prep, the wax pen, color order, sealing and framing, and common fixes.
Using MakeBead
Bead designer →The converter, the designer, your own colors, and printing a pattern.
- Using the bead designerDraw a pattern from a blank grid, save it to your account and export it.
- Photo to bead patternUpload a picture, choose the brand and size, limit the colors and export.
- Your own colors (My Colors)Add any hex color, paste a list of codes, rename them and sync them across devices.
- Print & export a patternPNG or PDF with a color list, a ruler and codes or symbols for black-and-white printing.
Comparisons
Photo to Perler pattern →MakeBead next to other bead pattern tools.
- Beadifier alternativeHow MakeBead compares with Beadifier for turning photos into bead patterns.
- Pixel-Beads alternativeHow MakeBead compares with pixel-beads.net on dithering and color matching.
- Beadographer alternativeHow MakeBead compares with Beadographer for peyote, brick stitch and loom patterns.