StitchkaCreate a pattern

What’s new

What changed in the editor and on the site, and how to use it. Newest first.

  1. Save as PNG and print

    Besides PDF, you can now save the chart as an image or print it straight away.

    What’s new

    • “Save PNG” and “Print” buttons next to “Download PDF”.
    • A thread colour changes when you release the colour picker, not on every move. One undo brings the previous colour back in full.
    • The ↑ and ↓ keys step numeric fields by one.

    How to use it

    Open the “Export” section in the settings panel and pick the button you need.

  2. Cleaner edges on charts from photos

    No more brownish fringe around outlines that nobody would stitch, and fewer stray single “confetti” stitches.

    What’s new

    • A cell on the border of two colours takes the colour that fills most of it, not a mix of both.
    • A lone cell with no neighbour of its own colour disappears if a patch of a close shade is next to it. Contrasting details, like an eye or the centre of a flower, stay.

    How to use it

    Nothing to switch on: every new chart from a photo is built this way. Existing charts don’t change; to see the difference, make the chart from the same photo again.

  3. New chart: from scratch or from a photo

    A chart now starts with a short dialog, and a finished one can be saved as a PDF.

    What’s new

    • Two ways to start: an empty grid of the size you need, or a chart from a photo.
    • A crop frame on the photo: drag it by the edges and corners and see the resulting chart right next to it.
    • A ratio lock: while it’s closed, the height follows the width.
    • Up to 256 colours per chart.
    • PDF on an A4 page with numbering on every side.
    • A minimap in the corner shows the whole piece; click it to jump there.

    How to use it

    Click “New chart” in the settings panel and choose “From scratch” or “From a photo”. For a photo, drag the crop frame to keep the part you want, set the width and fabric, then click “Create chart”.

  4. Selection: copy, paste, flip

    You can now select part of a chart and move, repeat or mirror it.

    What’s new

    • Copy and paste (Ctrl/⌘ + C and V): the copy lands next to the original and can be dragged.
    • Flip the selection left ↔ right or top ↕ bottom (Shift + H or V).
    • Pattern from a selection: the sample repeats in a row, a column, diagonally or as a tile across the whole canvas.
    • The eyedropper (I) is its own tool: click a cell to make its colour active.

    How to use it

    Pick “Select” (V) in the toolbar and drag a frame around an area. Drag its contents to move them, or hold Alt to copy. The check mark applies the changes.

  5. Mirror, pattern repeat and canvas size

    The toolbar gained tools that work on the whole canvas.

    What’s new

    • Mirror: one half is copied as a reflection onto the other.
    • Pattern: a sample area repeats up to the edge of the fabric.
    • Canvas size: drag an edge or corner to add or remove cells.
    • Redo next to undo.
    • Scissors for satin stitch: click a hole in the middle of a stitch to cut it, or between two stitches to join them.

    How to use it

    Pick “Mirror” in the toolbar, click the canvas to place the axis, choose a direction and press the check mark. The other tools work the same way: their options appear above the toolbar.

  6. A new editor, with satin stitch

    The editor was rebuilt from scratch and gained satin stitch alongside cross stitch.

    What’s new

    • Satin stitch is its own stitch type: one long stitch across several cells.
    • Cross stitch and satin stitch can share one chart.
    • Satin runs that are too long split into equal stitches no longer than the limit you set.
    • Line and Fill tools, and undo for the last 50 steps.

    How to use it

    In the toolbar at the bottom, switch the stitch type to “Satin stitch” and draw with the line or fill tool. To keep stitches from running too long, turn on “Split long runs” in the “Satin stitch” section and set the “Longest stitch”.