Cross Stitch Chart Maker

Pin Cross Stitch Chart Maker on Pinterest (opens in a new tab)

Turn a photo or a word into a cross stitch pattern and know what to buy: size, fabric and DMC skeins. For stitchers and gift makers: choose a picture, crop, download free.

US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) [216 × 279 mm]

Chart from

Read in your browser only, never uploaded. Until you choose one, the preview shows a sample heart.

The commonest color around the edge of the picture, and everything joined to it, stays as bare fabric.

Ready sizes

Sets the stitches across for the fabric count below (a 2 × 7 in design; 5 in across for a 6 in hoop; 4 × 6 in on a card; 12 in on a 14 in pillow) and crops your picture to that shape. Change anything after.

Fabric (aida count)
Chart

Symbols print black on white and save ink; color charts are easier to follow on a color printer.

Chart squares per inch on paper

Large print: 6 big squares to the inch with bold lines every 10 stitches, for tired eyes.

More options
Thread colors

Matched to 168 common DMC colors. Screens and printers show them only roughly, so check against a real thread card. DMC is a trademark of its owner; we are not affiliated with it.

Orientation
Paper size

A link that opens this tool with these settings, to save or share. Your picture is never in it; choose it again after opening the link.

Made for: Parents and Crafters

How it works

  1. Choose your picture and crop it. A JPG, PNG, GIF or WebP photo, read in your browser only (it never leaves your device). Drag a frame around the part you want, and keep “Plain background” on so a white or plain backdrop stays as bare fabric. Or chart a word in the color of your choice.
  2. Pick the size and the colors. Take a ready size (bookmark 2 × 7 in, a 6 in hoop, a 5 × 7 in card, a 14 in pillow) or type the stitches across (20 to 200), the number of colors (2 to 30) and the aida count (11, 14, 16 or 18). “What to buy” updates as you go: the finished size in inches [cm], the fabric piece with a 3 in [7.6 cm] margin, and skeins per DMC color for two strands. Merge two colors that look the same with two clicks, or lock one (the eyes) so it stays.
  3. Download the PDF and print. A symbol chart (black on white), a color chart with symbols, or color only, at 8, 10 or 12 squares to the inch, or 6 for large print. Big charts split onto pages with a page map; each page repeats the last two rows of the one before, and every page shows where the center is. US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) or A4 [210 × 297 mm]; print at 100% (“Actual size”). Free, with no sign-up and no watermark.

Tips for a good pattern

  • Gift makers: for a pet or a baby photo, crop close to the face and use 10 to 16 colors; lock the eye color so it survives when you lower the count.
  • Beginners: start with the bookmark or card size on 14-count aida and 6 to 8 colors; a word or a cartoon picture charts cleaner than a photo.
  • Stitchers who print large: choose 6 squares per inch (large print). The chart runs to more pages, but the squares and the bold 10-lines are easy to follow.
  • Everyone, buying thread: the skein count allows for tails and travel at the back. Stitching with three strands? Buy about half as much again. Hold the real skeins against a thread card before you buy, since screen colors are only close.
  • Photo stitchers, dithering (under More options) smooths shading in photos but scatters single stitches; leave it off for words, logos and cartoons.
  • Designers charting by hand: Print blank cross stitch graph paper, or a fuse bead pattern grid for bead projects.

Ready-made versions of this sheet

Blank grids from our static sheets, ready to print for charting by hand.

Free for home, classroom and work use. License information