Fuse beads aresmall plastic tubes placed on a pegboard in a pattern. You heat them with an iron through ironing paper; the edges melt and fuse, and once cool you get one solid flat (or 3D) piece.

Beads come mainly in 2.6mm (mini) and 5mm (standard). 5mm is large, easy and fast, good for big pieces. 2.6mm gives far more detail, ideal for faces, gradients and jewelry. Same design, 2.6mm looks finer but takes longer.

Mixed tubs are cheap but sorting takes forever and common colors run out fast. Better to buy refills by color as your project needs (extra black and white).

An online converter turns your photo into a grid, matching each pixel to the closest bead color, with a quantity list. Tips: clean, high-contrast images work best; gradients and shadows get simplified into flat blocks; color-match accuracy is the biggest difference between tools.

Needle felting repeatedly stabs wool with a barbed needle that tangles the fibers; the more you poke, the firmer it gets and holds shape, 3D or flat. No water, soap or heat, just a needle, wool and a mat.

Wool, one felting needle, a mat. Optional but recommended: a finger guard, a multi-needle holder for larger areas, small scissors. Most sources stress: no need to buy every gauge at first.