Well it turns out they're cool again (maybe?), at least for crafty people who like old video games. Google image search "8 bit perler" or "video game perler" and you'll see a ton of great characters people have recreated. My first creation thus far has been borrowed from this wonderful person. Specifically the chicken. I love that chicken.
Materials & Tools:
- Perler beads
- Peg Board
- Ironing paper (usually you get a few with the purchase of the above, though I'm sure parchment paper would do in a pinch)
- Iron
I purchased my beads in a giant 22,000 bead bucket from a chain craft store. The only downside (for some) is that it's all disorganized and comes with tons of colors you'll probably never use. But I enjoy letting my OCD out once in a while, and can spend a few hours at a time sorting while watching TV.
The peg boards I got at the same craft store. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, though I'm a big fan of the 29x29 boards you can interlock to make something giant. For that chicken, though, I only needed one.
Since someone was awesome enough to post a decent picture of this design I used it as my template. If you can't find one, another good place to look is cross stitch websites, though their designs tend to be more intricate. There are also programs out there you can download or purchase to create your own designs, or you could take a tiny picture of a character you like and zoom in until it gets all pixelated. It's up to you.
The actual construction is very simple as long as you're patient. Go row by row, or color by color, until the design in complete. A pair of tweezers can help speed the process along. Cover with the paper and iron until the beads fuse. If you'd like, glue coarkboard on the back, though it works fine without it.
I find that occasionally the coaster wants to bend- maybe I'm not doing it right- so I let mine cool between two phone books.
Ta-Da:
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