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You’ll be head over heels for these super charming DIY Perler bead conversation hearts!

Love is in the air, and so is my urge to make something cute! For me, the first thing I think of when Valentine’s Day approaches are conversation hearts. For a DIY project that’s not as sugary, but just as sweet, try making these Perler bead conversation hearts!

You may have fond memories of crafting with Perler beads as a kid, (I know I do!). These little beads are super flexible and can be used in so many different ways. For these conversation hearts, I get out my needles and get to embroidering! You may be wondering how you embroider with Perler beads, but I’m here to tell you that with a bit of patience, anyone can do it! 

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Download the free embroidery charts below and get ready to make a whole box of these adorable valentines!

How to Embroider Perler Beads

First things first, you need to know HOW to embroider Perler beads. What you embroider the beads with depends on how much you melt them. Yarn will look thicker. But you might not be able to get it through the holes if you iron it for too long. Embroidery floss is cheaper, and you have a seemingly endless rainbow of colors to choose from.

The needle that you will use also depends on what you’re embroidering with. For yarn, you’ll want size 16 DMC tapestry needles. With embroidery floss, go for size 22 DMC needles.

As a needle can be difficult to thread with yarn or full strands of floss, you’ll want to use a needle threader. Since you’ll be using wide-eyed needles, you can use a sturdy metal needle threader (like this one). If you’ve got a wire needle threader, you can still use that, just be aware it’s more likely to break when dealing with thick “thread” like yarn and embroidery floss.

To begin embroidering, start your needle in the back and hold ~2” of thread behind. Use the first few stitches to anchor your yarn in the back, then backstitch your letters. Weave the needle end underneath a few stitches in the back to secure them, and trim excess yarn.

Perler Bead Conversation Heart Pattern

For this project, it’s important to use a square pegboard instead of the heart so that the holes in the beads form a grid. Otherwise, you won’t have enough spaces to embroider the cute Valentine’s sayings.

You’ll also want to download the chart with pre-made embroidery patterns as well as a blank one to create your own conversation heart sayings.

Supplies For This Project

Materials:

Perler Beads – Conversation Hearts come in pastel colors, so you’ll want to look for colors like Light Pink, Robin’s Egg, Lavender, and Pastel Yellow. Or grab the variety tub for a better value!
Red Embroidery Floss – I used DMC 321 (Christmas Red)
OR Red Yarn
Matching Felt – I buy all my felt here!

Tools and Supplies:

Square Peg Board – The heart pegboard won’t work for this project! Gotta be the Square!
Iron – Since I made this tutorial, I’ve gotten a Cricut Easy Press Mini for Perler projects and now I’ll never go back!
Ironing Board or Mat – Same with the Cricut Easy Press Mat! I can keep it right on my desk next to my work so I don’t have to worry about dropping my project when I make the walk over to the ironing board.
Parchment Paper – Keep in mind that this comes in the package if you buy a bucket of beads, but not if you buy the individual color packs. But you can just use regular kitchen parchment paper if you have it.
Perler Tweezers (optional, but so helpful)
Tapestry Needles (Around size 16-22. See the notes above)
Hot Glue Gun – If you’re in the market for a new one, do yourself a favor and get a good Cordless Hot Glue Gun this time. Don’t forget the glue sticks!
Printable Perler Conversation Heart Pattern – download the embroidery patterns and use the blank one to create your own designs! Download for Free below!

Perler Bead Conversation Heart Step-By-Step Tutorial

Start by downloading and printing out the free template.

Assemble the heart on the square pegboard and iron lightly on both sides. Make sure there is always a sheet of parchment paper between your beads and your iron!

You’ll want the beads to be melted just enough that they stay together, but not so much that the holes disappear.

Let them cool under a heavy flat object, like a stack of books or a weighted-down sheet pan. This will prevent the heart from curling up on the sides.

Once the beads are cooled, you can start embroidering your Valentine’s phrases!

Cut a strand of embroidery floss about the length of your fingertips to your elbow and tie a knot in one end.

Thread the other end through your needle and use the printable chart to find the first hold you’ll be sewing through.

Note: You’ll be working in the diamond shaped holes between the beads, not the circle holes im the middle of a bead.

Start in the back of your work and bring the needle through to the front at the starting point of each line, and then front to back at the ending point.

Once you’ve finished your phrase and the needle is in the back of your work, slide it underneath the existing threads a couple times until it is held down.

(It doesn’t need to be perfect, the felt will help keep it in place too!)

Next, trace around the heart on a piece of matching felt.

Cut out the heart about a quarter inch inside the line and hot glue it in place on the back of the heart to cover up the messy threads. You can also dab a bit of glue on the ends of the thread while you’re there if you’re worried about them coming out of place.

All done! Aren’t they so cute? 

Try using your favorite colors and your own personalized messages to make your Perler Bead conversation hearts really special!

Stay crafty,

-KatyAnna