The problem
Most fuse-bead apps already come with image converters and editors. But converting an image doesn't always give me a pattern I actually want to make. Colours come out wrong, small details disappear, and important shapes get lost once the image is shrunk down to a practical bead grid.
Fixing that usually means editing pixels by hand. I'm not good at drawing, so even when I can see what looks wrong, I struggle to make it look right. Same goes for changing something in the original picture. I know what I want changed, I just can't draw it.
Then there's the practical side, like whether the pixels line up with the grid, the scale makes sense, the important details are still recognisable, and I actually own enough of each colour.
I wanted all of that sorted out before a pattern reached my collection, not after I'd started putting beads on a board.
What I wanted
Not another image editor inside a website. I wanted to work with an AI assistant, let it handle the conversion and checking, and only save something once I'm happy to make it.
I also wanted the conversion to take my actual bead inventory into account. A good-looking chart isn't very useful if it asks for colours I don't have without telling me.
So I built Mard.
The workflow
Mard has a downloadable fuse-bead skill for the AI assistant and an MCP connection to the website. The conversion happens with the assistant, outside of Mard itself.
When working on an image, the assistant can fetch Mard's current palette and my inventory. The skill guides it through checking grid alignment and pixel scale, converting the image, and checking for problems like missing beads or poor colour matches. It also asks for a visual comparison of the source and the chart, because passing the mechanical checks doesn't mean the silhouette or small details are right.
The output includes the bead chart, a mirrored preview of the finished piece, the dimensions, and bead counts by colour. I can look over all of that before deciding whether the pattern is worth keeping.
Once I'm happy with the result, the assistant offers to save it to Mard.
From pattern to finished piece
Saved patterns start as pending. On the website, I can open the grid, make corrections, and check shortages against my inventory. If a pattern needs more beads than I own, I can see what needs restocking.
Saving a pattern doesn't deduct anything. At that point it's still only a plan, and I may edit it or never build it.
Stock is deducted when I mark the pattern as built. The completed pattern becomes a record of what I made, rather than another draft to edit.
Mard is here if you want to take a look.