How many fuse beads do I need?
Count the filled cells in your finished pattern, then check the quantity of each color. A grid tells you how much space you have; the design tells you how many beads you need. Mandolin Handmade helps you count one design in the Designer or combine several saved designs in Projects.
One filled cell means one bead
Each colored cell in a pattern represents one bead placed on one peg. Empty cells do not contribute to the bead total. That includes empty space around a character, gaps between separate shapes, and holes left inside a design. You do not need to buy beads for every peg on the board unless your pattern actually fills the entire grid.
A 29 × 29 grid has 841 possible positions: 29 rows multiplied by 29 columns. If your design fills 300 of those positions, it needs 300 beads, not 841. A 29 × 58 grid has room for 1,682 beads, but a small shape on that grid can use far fewer. See the pegboard size guide when choosing space for your design.
Check quantities by color, not just the total
A total helps you understand the size of a project, but it cannot tell you whether your supplies are enough. A pattern that needs 300 beads might use 180 of one color, 90 of another, and 30 of a third. Having 300 assorted beads does not help if you have only 40 of the color needed for those 180 positions.
In the Fuse-Bead Designer, check the bead counts after drawing, importing, or recoloring your pattern. Read each color quantity alongside its name and swatch. Similar shades can be easy to confuse on screen, so compare the intended colors with your physical supplies before laying out the first row.
Counts describe the current design. Erasing beads lowers the total; adding beads raises it. Replacing one color with another can leave the total unchanged while changing what you need to buy. Finish your cleanup before treating the count as your supply plan, especially after an image import that may leave small groups of colors you decide to simplify.
Save the version you intend to build
Use Save to Projects from the Designer and give the design a recognizable name. Projects stores designs in the current browser on the current device; it does not require an account. Return to that same browser to find your saved work. Saving a design there is separate from submitting it to public Community Patterns.
A shopping list counts the saved designs you select. If you open a project and change it in the Designer, save the version you want to build before relying on a Projects list. Check the saved preview and name so you do not accidentally plan supplies from an earlier version or select two versions of the same intended build.
Combine several designs in Projects
On the Projects page, select Include in shopping list for each design you plan to make. The combined list adds matching colors across those selected designs. Unselected projects do not contribute. This is useful when preparing several ornaments, planning a craft session, or making different designs from the same bead collection.
Suppose one saved design uses 120 beads of a particular color and another uses 80 of that same color. Selecting both gives a requirement of 200 for that color. Other colors are added in the same way, and TOTAL BEADS is the sum of all the resulting color quantities. Deselect a project when you decide to postpone it, then check the revised list.
Selecting a saved project counts its pattern once. If you intend to make three copies, multiply that design’s color quantities by three in your own supply notes. Do this for each color rather than multiplying only the overall total. Keep the number of intended copies beside the design name so the reason for the extra beads stays clear.
Subtract the beads you already own
The shopping list is a requirement for your selected patterns, not an inventory of your bead containers. It does not know how many beads you already have. Compare each color quantity with your usable supplies and subtract what you can set aside. If the list calls for 200 and you own 150, you need at least 50 more of that color to complete those patterns.
Keep this comparison in a note or on the exported list. Reserve supplies needed for other projects before subtracting them. You may also choose to keep a small spare amount for dropped beads or last-minute changes; the right amount depends on your project and supplies. The site’s count is the pattern requirement and does not automatically add a buffer.
Copy or export your planning list
Copy List lets you take the selected-project requirements into a document or note. Destinations that accept rich text can preserve labeled retailer links; plain-text destinations receive the URLs. Review the pasted list before using it, and add your inventory subtraction or repeat-build quantities beside the original requirements.
Export PDF in Projects creates a shopping-list PDF with selected design names, color quantities, and the total. Available retailer links are clickable, and colors with an Amazon link can have an Amazon QR code. Links are optional conveniences and are not available for every color. You can use your existing supplies or buy elsewhere; the list remains useful without following a retailer link.
This export is separate from Print PDF in the Designer. The shopping list helps you gather supplies; the pattern PDF shows bead placement at pegboard scale and includes a full-design color-count legend. Read the printing guide for Actual Size / 100% settings and large-pattern tiling.
A final check before you start
Confirm the pattern version, selected projects, intended copies, and available quantity of every color. Gather the beads before starting so a missing shade does not interrupt the build halfway through. If you change the pattern to suit your supplies, check its counts again and refresh your saved design and planning list. The most useful count is the one that matches the pattern you will actually place on the board.