LEARN HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN CUSTOM PERLERS
Now that you’ve finally mastered the single ring kandis, it’s time to take your festival DIY skills to the next level! When walking around a festival or rave you’ll notice that several people have beautifully designed necklaces and kandi cuffs with designs on them. If you’re interested in learning how to make these cuties, check out below!
SUPPLIES YOU NEED
- Perler beads
- Ironing paper – You can buy these separately or within a perler start kit
- Paperclip / toothpick
- Peg board(s)
- Iron and ironing board
- Perler pattern (get inspiration for patterns here)
PICK YOUR PATTERN
The first step to successfully creating your perler is picking out WHAT you want your perler to look like. If you’re familiar with these little guys at all, then you know there are really endless possibilities when it comes to patterns. People make all kinds of different things, whether they be inspo from something that’s already in existence, or they create something completely from their mind.
CREATING YOUR OWN DESIGN
For those of your with more creative abilities, there are blank perler board templates you can download/print. A lot of people utilize these to create their patterns before hand, rather than just free-handing the designs with the beads. Pick your poison, but if you’d like a printable/download you can find a plethora of different shapes and sizes over here.
USING A PATTERN
Now, worry not! If you, like me, don’t want/aren’t able/etc. to design something from scratch there are tons of other options available to you! When I first started learning how to do perlers, I actually watched a video (linked below) and literally followed along with the video. My little guys turned out great and from there I found KandiPatterns.com. This page has TONS of different patterns and you can print them out. Eventually I graduated to Pinterest where the designs can be wow.
I highly recommend printing out whatever pattern you decide to use! You’re able to mark off the beads/rows that you’ve already completed and it really does make such a difference!
PREPARING YOUR TOOLS/SUPPLIES
Create your ‘dropper’ tool
I personally like to use a paperclip that I’ve bent to look kind of like a fish hook. I’ve found that having a bit of a curve to it helps the beads stay on better when I’m dropping them on the boards! There are little ‘dropper’ tools that you can buy from the craft store, but I personally like to kep things simple (and cheap). I’ve also seen people utilize a toothpick as well which is also effective.
PRINT/DRAW YOUR PATTERN
When I’m utilizing a pattern I like to have them printed off and sitting beside my pattern. I find it more personally satisfying being able to mark off rows as I complete them! However, another method that I think is more effective is taping the pattern to the bottom of your board. This way, you can easily see what colors/patterns are next. It also makes it easier to start and stop the project and eliminates human error!
PICK YOUR COLORS & ORGANIZE
I’ve seen this step done a couple different ways and it seems like it really just comes down to overall preference! Once my pattern is picked out, I’ll go through my perler colors and determine what colors I want to use. If I deviate from the patterns colors, which I usually do, I’ll write the colors out and then write the new color I want to use beside them. I’ll typically write these on the pattern! I personally like to pick out a ton of each color up front and stick them in little tupperwear bowls so I can keep them organized. Some people prefer to pick the colors out of the bins as they go, others will count out the exact number of perler they need for the whole project and keep them all in one big bowl. Again- to each his own!
GET TO PEARLING
Just like it sounds- it’s time to pull all of the pieces together! Watching your designs come together in front of your eyes is one of my favorite things about making these. You can work through the pattern however you’d like, but I personally start on the far left and move my way right column by column. Since I’m right handed this makes it easier for me to rest my hand without distrubing anything!
IRON IT OUT
The last, and final, step! This is when you’ll see your creation come to life. When I first started making these, I actually melted/discolored/burned some edges/pieces. It’s essential that you don’t just rest your iron on the beads. Place your ironing paper over the top of your design with the boards ON THE IRONING BOARD. From here, you’ll want to use a lightly pressured, swooping motion on the ironing paper. Peel the paper off, flip the perler over and peel the perler board off of the back CAREFULLY. Then repeat the previous step with the ironing paper. Once the beads are melted to your preference, you’ll have your finished product!
