Who doesn’t like perler beads? In addition to being fun to create with, they help to build a child’s eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills as well as color recognition. Design options are unlimited—follow a pattern or create a random, free form design. The young artist can use perler beads to make a notebook cover for the perfect Father’s Day gift.
Gather these supplies:
- Perler beads
- 5½” x 5½” perler bead grid
- Perler bead tweezers—these aren’t absolutely necessary, but make it easier to place the beads on the grid
- 3″ x 5″ notebook
- Household iron
- Parchment paper
- E6000 adhesive
- Notebook Cover Templates
Let’s make a Father’s Day Notebook Cover:
- Select a perler bead pattern from the Notebook Cover Templates, or design a pattern of your own. I used the Mirrored Dad Template because I’m the worst perler bead ironer. So by using a mirrored template I can iron on the top side which never looks crisp, and turn the design over.
- Begin placing beads on the grid according to your selected pattern. If you’re designing your own it should be 15 beads wide and 23 beads high.
- Continue placing beads until the design is complete.
- Cover the perler beads and grid with a piece of parchment paper.
- Set a household iron on a dry, medium heat setting. Continually move the iron in a circular motion over the design until the beads begin to melt and fuse together.
- Carefully remove the parchment paper, then take the fused design off the grid. If the design is warped, lay it on a flat surface under a heavy book while it cools.
- Use E6000 or similar strong adhesive to glue the perler bead cover to the notebook.
- Present your gift to dad on Father’s Day.
