DIY Perler Bead Quilt Squares

I saw this idea done in fabric and wanted to make a set myself, but I didn't want to drag out the sewing machine.  So I made a set with Perler Beads instead!  This is a fun afternoon project that you can do with your older kids.  And the younger ones can have fun playing with it!

Here's a picture of the fabric project that was my inspiration.

It was created by Rebecca from the Beauty All Around blog.  She calls this a Tangram-esque Fabric Puzzle.  Check out her post to see pictures of her kids playing with these.  The fabric ones look really nice for younger kids.

Here's my Perler Beads version.  I went with an 8X8 perler bead square.  You can make bigger or smaller ones. 

I used one of the square pegboards from the interlocking set and could fit 9 squares at a time on the board.  It's easier to iron 9 squares at once, rather than one square at a time! 

Here are some purple/green squares.

And some pokeball-looking squares!

Perler Beads now come in different shapes like rods and shaped beads.   They also have a wonderful variety of colors, like striped, pearly, and glow-in-the-dark!  I used some purple shaped beads to create a hole in the center of these squares, and also used some glow-in-the-dark and green pearly beads.

As I went along, I realized that having some solid color squares would allow me to make some more interesting patterns, so I spent a little extra time to whip up some green and purple solids.  They do make pretty patterns!

 While checking out quilt patterns online, I also noticed this interesting half-quarter quilt square.  Fill in one diagonal half in one color, then split the other half into two colors.

And now you have even more variety for your patterns!

Here are a couple designs I made with a combination of the different color squares.  My colors don't go all that well together.  It might be worth while to consider which colors you want to use before you make them.  Or just use whatever colors you have on hand and make something very unique! 

You can whip up a bunch of these and then create some patterns on paper for your kids to copy using the quilt squares.  I made some pattern templates that you can download.

Just click on the picture above to download from Google Drive.  Print off some copies and then color them in to match the colors squares that you made!  You could print them on cardstock and cut the different patterns out.  This would make it easier for the younger ones to focus on one pattern at a time.

I hope you have fun with this idea!