Cross Stitch Design Resources
Hey guys! I’ve been meaning to post some of my favorite online resources for creating cross stitch patterns. These are what I personally like to use, but feel free to add on if you have more!
First off, here is a link to my size conversion chart. It is organized by Aida cloth size. It’s my personal reference to how many stitches fit into standard frame sizes. I made it so I don’t have to keep breaking out the calculator.
For example, here are the conversions for 14ct cloth, with inches on the left and pixels (squares/stitches) on the right:
14 count fabric means 14 squares per inch. So if I wanted a project for a 5″ by 7″ frame, it can be up to 70 stitches by 98 stitches. If my project is/is a little less than 112 by 140 stitches, I should get an 8″ by 10″ frame.
Stitch Fiddle is a website which allows you to draw your designs on graph paper, convert pictures into patterns, and download your work as a pattern. The program can also be used to make crochet and knitting patterns.
Making an account is free, and basic features come with a free account. You can unlock more features for $2.50/month, but you won’t necessarily need them to create great patterns.
Originally designed for converting photos into patterns, this site is great for converting pixel art as well. Simply upload your image and adjust until you’re pleased with how it looks.
Anything under 1000 stitches can be made into a free pattern! Picture Craftwork is an invaluable resource for me, because it will tell you what DMC floss colors you need!
If I’m making a particularly large piece, I’ll often create a palette of all the colors used in a small image, upload that to Picture Craftwork, and use it to determine what skeins to get.
Another great resource for finding and making patterns, but here I’m specifically going to talk about their caption maker tool.
As you can see they have six fonts that are free to use. The rest can be unlocked at $4/3 months or $12/year. You can write whatever you want, adjust your project width and fabric count, and see a preview before you are shown a pdf of your pattern.
This is another place you can find some neat patterns, but I’m once again focusing on their writing tool.
You can choose from several free fonts, giving you an option of cross stitches, back stitches, or a blend.
The only thing I don’t like about it is that you cannot type–you have to click the buttons on screen. It’s a bit tedious, but unlike crossstitch.com, you have the advantage of seeing what it will look like while you make it.
And finally, the program I use more than any other for cross stitch, the place where >90% of my projects begin, my most valuable cross stitching resource…
Paint shows you how many pixels (stitches) your image is and is fairly easy to make patterns in, as long as you know the golden command:
ctrl + g is the command which brings up a grid, putting each pixel in a nice little box for you. Zoom in 800% (max) and you’re good to go. Sometimes I won’t even use the other websites I just wrote about–as long as I don’t need to backstitch, paint is usually all I need. (Apologies to Mac users–I’m not sure if there is an equivalent for you, but I’ve heard ms paint may work on an emulator.)
Those are my top resources! Once again, feel free to add on or ask questions. One more thing: if you’re interested in cross stitching video game sprites, I very highly recommend The Spriters Resource! This site is a free database of video game sprites from a wide range of consoles compiled by a bunch of hard working sprite rippers. I’ve used it countless times for Mario and Undertale projects.
That’s all! Happy stitching!
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