Cross stitch basics and your own charts

From photo to finished piece in three steps

1. 1

   Add a photo

   A portrait, your cat, flowers from the garden. Photos with one clear subject and a quiet background work best. Set the width and the fabric, and the editor shows the finished size in inches or centimeters right away.

2. 2

   Tidy it up

   Compare the chart with the photo. If it looks busy, cut the number of colors. If a detail is off, redraw single cells.

3. 3

   Save and print

   Download the chart as a PDF or PNG, or print it straight from the browser. Your work stays in the browser, so you can close the tab and pick it up tomorrow.

Cross stitch guides

Short and with real numbers: which Aida to buy, how many colors a chart needs, how to work out the finished size and match a bead to the cell.

• How many colors a chart needs

  The same picture at 4, 8, 12 and 20 colors — what disappears at each step, and where the gain runs out.

• Cross stitch calculator: finished size and fabric

  A cross stitch fabric calculator, the formula, a finished-size table for all six fabrics, and how much fabric to buy.

• Seed bead sizes: which bead fits your fabric

  A seed bead size chart, every canvas cell in millimeters, the closest bead number, and the honest gap between them.

• How to cross stitch: your first project

  What to buy, where to start, how to stitch in rows and finish a thread — and a small chart to try it all on.

• Aida cloth and fabric count explained

  Aida 11, 14, 16, 18 and evenweave side by side: density, square size and how many floss strands each one takes.

• Needlepoint vs cross stitch: what is the difference

  Canvas, stitch, thread and coverage side by side — and a table showing how the same chart lands on 10–18 mesh needlepoint canvas compared with Aida.

• How to needlepoint: tent stitch for beginners

  Supplies, canvas prep, the three ways to work tent stitch, and a table of how many meters of yarn a 10 × 10 cm square takes on 10, 13 and 18 mesh canvas.

• How to frame a cross stitch

  Washing, pressing, mounting and glass — plus a table that matches a chart in stitches to the smallest standard frame and the fabric to cut.

• How to cross stitch with beads

  Supplies, the seed bead that fits your fabric, attaching beads with a half stitch and a second pass, beads on top of cross stitch, and a bead chart from your own photo.

What embroidery is

Embroidery techniques

These techniques cover most beginner projects. What separates them is not difficulty but how the element sits on the cloth: some fit exactly into one cell, others stretch across several along the shape. That is what decides which kind of chart you need.

• Cross stitchin the builder

  Each stitch is two diagonal strokes crossing inside one cell of the canvas. Charts are easy to read and mistakes are easy to undo, which is why most people start here; it calls for fabric with visible cells, usually Aida.

• Half stitchin the builder

  The same grid, but only one diagonal per cell. It works up twice as fast and leaves a lighter, more translucent surface, so it often fills the background behind the main motif. The chart is exactly the same as for cross stitch.

• Round seed beadsin the builder

  A bead is sewn into each cell of the canvas instead of a cross, giving a raised, glossy surface. The grid is the same and so is the sizing — the canvas sets it; the bead is simply chosen so that it matches the cell.

• Satin stitchin the builder

  Long stitches laid side by side along the shape, giving a solid surface that reads almost like a brush stroke. The stitch is not tied to a single cell: the shape itself decides how long it runs.

• Bugle beadsin the builder

  Elongated glass tubes sewn across several cells at once. Geometrically this is satin stitch with glass instead of thread, so it uses the same chart as satin stitch: each tube is a line from hole to hole.

• Backstitchin the builder

  A thin line of short stitches worked backwards, used to outline a shape or add fine detail. It is rarely used on its own — usually it is the finishing pass over work already done in cross or satin stitch. On a chart it is a chain of short satin stitches from hole to hole.

Cross stitch, half stitch and round seed beads produce an identical chart: one cell, one element. So a chart made in the builder can be worked in cross stitch, in half stitch or sewn with beads. Satin stitch works differently: each stitch runs from hole to hole across several cells, so in the builder it is a separate stitch type that you can mix with cross stitch in the same chart. Bugle beads and backstitch lie the same way, as lines from hole to hole, so you draw them with the satin tool.

Fabrics and finished size

The size of the finished piece comes from the fabric, not the chart: the same chart worked on Aida 18 ends up noticeably smaller than on Aida 11. The math is simple — stitches divided by fabric count.

Frequently asked questions about embroidery

How do I start embroidering?

Start with cross stitch on Aida 14: its cells are clearly visible, so you never have to count threads of the cloth. For a first piece take a small chart around 50–80 stitches wide, a floss set of 8–12 colors, a blunt tapestry needle and a hoop.More in the guides →

How is bead embroidery different from cross stitch?

The chart and the finished size are the same: a bead, like a cross, sits in one cell of the canvas, so the canvas is what sets the size. What differs is the look — raised and glossy — and the shopping, because the bead number has to match the cell.

Which bead size goes with which canvas?

The bead should match the cell: an Aida 11 cell is 2.3 mm and suits size 10/0, an Aida 14 cell is 1.8 mm and is closer to 11/0, and dense Aida 18 wants 15/0. A smaller bead leaves the canvas showing through, a larger one makes it impossible to keep the beads aligned.More in the guides →

How is cross stitch different from satin stitch?

Cross stitch uses identical small stitches on a grid, so the image builds up like a mosaic and the chart can be read square by square. Satin stitch lays long stitches of varying length along the shape, giving a smooth solid surface; on a chart it is drawn as a line across several cells rather than as a single cell.

Which fabric should I choose?

Cross stitch wants Aida — a fabric woven into clear square cells, with Aida 14 the most popular count. Satin stitch and finer work suit evenweave, where each stitch spans two threads of the cloth, while free-style embroidery works on any firm cotton or linen.More in the guides →

What does fabric count mean?

The count is how many cells or threads fit into one inch of fabric. Aida 14 has 14 cells per inch, roughly 5.5 per centimeter; the higher the count, the smaller the stitch and the smaller the finished piece.More in the guides →

How do I calculate the finished size?

Divide the number of stitches by the fabric count, the stitches per inch. A chart 100 stitches wide measures about 7.1 inches (18 cm) on 14 count Aida and only 5.6 inches (14 cm) on 18 count; remember to add 2–3 inches on every side for hemming and framing.More in the guides →

How many strands of floss should I use?

Stranded cotton usually comes as six fine threads, and cross stitch on Aida 14 takes two of them. On denser Aida 18 one strand is enough and on looser Aida 11 you want three — the rule of thumb is that the stitch should cover the cell without bulging.More in the guides →

Do I need a hoop?

A hoop keeps the fabric taut, so stitches sit evenly and the cloth does not pucker. Cross stitch on stiff Aida can be worked without one, but for satin stitch a hoop is close to essential — a long stitch on slack fabric will always pull crooked.

How long does a piece take?

An experienced stitcher works roughly 200–400 crosses an hour; a beginner about half that. A 60×40 chart is 2,400 stitches, so five or six unhurried evenings — which is exactly why a first project should be small.