How to use Cross Stitch Pattern Maker

Turn a photo into a cross stitch chart with symbols, thread codes and stitch counts, ready to print.

A short guide to getting good results, plus answers to the questions people ask most.

The violets at 100 stitches wide with 30 threads, as Export chart writes it: symbols on color, a heavier line every ten stitches.
BeforeAfter
The violets at 100 stitches wide with 30 threads, as Export chart writes it: symbols on color, a heavier line every ten stitches.

Open the tool

How to use it

  1. 1

    Press Add image

    Drop a photo and the grid takes its proportions. Or start a Blank chart and build the palette thread by thread.

  2. 2

    Set Stitches wide and Fabric count

    The finished size follows in centimeters and inches, with the fabric to cut. Around 100 stitches keeps a photo recognizable; more stitches means more detail and more hours.

  3. Stitches wide 60Stitches wide 60
    Stitches wide 100Stitches wide 100
    Stitches wide 160Stitches wide 160
    Stitches wide at 60, 100 and 160 on the same photo. More stitches keep more detail and take more hours.
  4. 3

    Set Maximum colors

    Fewer threads make a chart faster to stitch and easier to read. Press Rematch colors after a change; locked threads stay.

  5. Maximum colors 8Maximum colors 8
    Maximum colors 16Maximum colors 16
    Maximum colors 40Maximum colors 40
    Maximum colors at 8, 16 and 40. Eight already reads as violets; forty keeps the shading and adds threads to buy.
  6. 4

    Press Tidy confetti

    Confetti is a single stitch of one color on its own. Tidy merges each one into a neighbor when the picture barely changes, and keeps a deliberate highlight.

  7. OriginalOriginal
    Tidy confettiTidy confetti
    Before and after Tidy confetti on a detail: the lone stitches in the petals merge into their neighbors.
  8. 5

    Press Export chart

    Choose the Format: paged PDF with the key, PNG or TIFF, SVG, or OXS. Export thread list gives you the shopping list.

About this tool

Drop in a photo and it becomes a chart: symbols on color, a heavier line every ten stitches, numbers along the edges and center arrows. Colors are matched to a thread palette in a perceptual color space. Stitchers use it to work a portrait, a pet or a flower from a photo.

You get a paged PDF with the key and skein estimates, a PNG or TIFF for printing, an SVG, and OXS for other stitching software. Print at 100% and the size on paper matches the readout.

Features

Thread palette

Colors matched in CIELAB to real thread codes. Lock the threads you own and replace any thread by hand.

Paint and outline

Repaint cells, add half and quarter stitches at the edges, and trace outlines in backstitch.

Colorways

Keep several recolorings of one pattern side by side, each with its own threads and repaints.

Review tab

Seven checks before you start: rare threads, colors too close to tell apart, clashing symbols, confetti, page count.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free?

Yes. Every feature and every export is free, with no account and no watermark. An account is optional and only keeps your projects so you can reopen them on another device.

Are my files uploaded?

No. Everything runs in your browser and your files stay on your device. The only thing that leaves it is a project you choose to save to your account.

Can I use the pattern in other stitching software?

Yes. Export OXS, the open cross stitch format, and open the chart in WinStitch, MacStitch, FlossCross and anything else that reads it. Full, half and quarter stitches and backstitch all make the trip.

How much fabric do I need?

The readout shows two numbers. The finished size is what the stitches cover; the cut size adds three inches on every side for the hoop, mounting and re-centering.

How many strands should I use?

Two on 14-count fabric is usual, three on 11-count or for full coverage, one on very fine fabric. Set Strands per stitch in the Chart tab and the skein estimates follow.

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