Have you ever tried hama beads, aka perler beads? Learn how to make a perler bead bracelet in this tutorial. Easy and fun for adults or kids.
Skills Required: None. Even if you’ve never crafted before, you should be able to accomplish this project easily. You’ll be doing a lot of ironing.
Hi there! This is Amy from Maker Mama. Today I’m sharing a how-to with one of my favorite materials: hama beads (aka perler beads). I find this to be an awesome summer craft when the girls get bored and I need to burn a few hours.
These hama bead bracelets make a fun accessory for big and little girls alike, and you can make them in any color combination to suit your mood (or your outfit). Check out how I did this easy bracelet DIY project.
Perler Bead Bracelets
Gather These Supplies
- Bead pegboard – I used a 10.5 x 14″, but you can also put two boards together
- Hama beads or perler beads in your favorite colors
- Parchment paper
- Iron
- Glass the size of the bracelet you want
- Measuring tape or ruler
I chose a diamond design that was three beads wide and about 8.5″ long–this was the circumference of a bangle from my jewelry box.
Make sure the start and finish of your bracelet end at different angles so they’ll match up when you form the bracelet.
Use your iron to fuse the strip of beads together.
Take the strip while it’s still warm and wrap it around your glass, making sure to join the ends together. This part can be a bit tricky, but with some finagling, you can fuse the beads together while holding it in place.
I found it easier to wrap around with the already fused side touching the glass. Once you’ve fused the two ends together, work your way around the rest of the bracelet to give it extra hold.
Leave the bracelet to cool on the glass–this will help it keep its shape.
Now go to town and make some more!
And don’t forget to show them off.
Perler Bead Bracelets
Learn how to make DIY bracelets with hama beads! If your kids like perler bead crafts, they'll enjoy this project.
Materials
- Large hama bead pegboard (I used a 10.5" x 14" board)
- Hama beads in your favorite colors
- Parchment paper
Tools
- Iron
- Glass
Instructions
- Choose a design - I chose a diamond design that was three beads wide and about 8.5" long.
- Make sure the start and finish of your bracelet end at different angles so they'll match up when you form the bracelet.
- Use your iron to fuse the strip of beads together.
- Take the strip while it's still warm and wrap it around your glass, making sure to join the ends together.
- Once you've fused the two ends together, work your way around the rest of the bracelet to give it extra hold.
- Leave the bracelet to cool on the glass. This will help it keep its shape.
- Slide off the glass and repeat to make additional bracelets.
Now that you know how to make these bracelets, are are some other projects you need to check out:
Pearl
Sunday 31st of August 2014
What a great tutorial! I didn't know they made peg boards that big!!