Cross-Stitch Pattern Maker
Photo in, printable DMC chart out — with finished size, symbols and a thread list.
picture
Size and fabric
Colours
Thread estimate
Pattern
Matching colours…
The squares are too small for symbols here — choose Large or Larger to read them.
Threads
Select a swatch to see where that thread goes (again to show all); change a symbol with its menu.
| Symbol | DMC thread | Stitches | Skeins |
|---|
Printable chart
About the Cross-Stitch Pattern Maker
Turn a photo, drawing or logo into a cross-stitch chart. Choose how many stitches wide it should be and your fabric — Aida 11, 14, 16 or 18, or evenweave over two — and the tool shows the finished size and how much fabric to cut. Limit the number of colours, and each colour is matched to the nearest DMC stranded cotton thread.
Every thread gets a clear symbol you can change. Download a printable PDF chart: a cover with a preview, sizes and a page map, a legend with DMC numbers, stitch counts and skein estimates, and the chart itself split over A4 or Letter pages with numbers and bold lines every 10 stitches. Everything runs in your browser; the picture is never uploaded.
How to use it
- Choose, drop or paste a picture. Crop it first if only part of it should be stitched — simple pictures with clear areas of colour stitch best.
- Set the width in stitches (the height follows the picture) and your fabric. The finished size and the fabric to cut update as you type.
- Choose the number of colours. Turn on Remove single stitches to avoid lots of isolated stitches, and Leave white unstitched if the fabric should show through.
- Check the preview in colours or symbols, and change any symbol in the legend.
- Set the number of strands, then download the PDF chart — or the preview image and the shopping list.
Examples
Width 80 stitches · Aida 14 · 20 colours · 2 strands
80 × 60 stitches · finished 5.7 × 4.3 in (14.5 × 10.9 cm) · cut 9.7 × 8.2 in (24.5 × 20.9 cm) with a 5 cm margin
The finished size is stitches ÷ count: 80 ÷ 14 = 5.7 inches.
14-count Aida, 2 strands, 50% allowance
About 1,826 full stitches per 8 m skein
One full stitch on 14-count uses (2√2 + 2) × 25.4 ÷ 14 ≈ 8.76 mm per strand. A skein holds 6 strands × 8 m = 48 m: 48,000 ÷ (8.76 × 2 × 1.5) ≈ 1,826.
Fabric count and finished size
The count of a fabric is the number of stitches per inch (DMC: 14-count is 5.5 stitches per centimetre). The finished design measures stitches ÷ count inches each way, so the same 140-stitch design is 12.7 in on 11-count, 10 in on 14-count and 7.8 in on 18-count. On evenweave or linen you usually stitch over two threads, which halves the count: 28-count over two is 14 stitches per inch.
The fabric to cut adds the margin you choose on every side, for hooping, finishing or framing.
How colours are matched to DMC threads
- The picture is averaged into one colour per stitch.
- The colours are grouped into at most the number you choose (k-means clustering in the CIELAB colour space, which follows how people see colour differences), and each group gets the DMC thread nearest to it by the CIEDE2000 colour difference (CIE 142-2001) — the tool’s implementation is checked against all 34 test pairs of Sharma, Wu and Dalal (2005).
- Each stitch then takes the nearest of the chosen threads. Optional dithering mixes neighbouring threads to suggest in-between shades; it makes more single stitches.
- Remove single stitches gives a stitch that no neighbour shares the thread most of its neighbours use.
The thread colours are the 489 DMC colours of the open data set craft-color-codes by MakeBead (licence: CC BY 4.0), whose values are cross-checked community measurements, not DMC’s own figures. DMC itself notes that a printed or online chart can only approximate the real colour and recommends a colour card with real thread samples (DMC FAQ). DMC is a trademark of DMC; this tool is not affiliated with DMC.
How the skein estimate works
A DMC stranded cotton skein holds 8 m (8.7 yd) of thread made of six strands that separate (DMC). A full cross stitch worked in rows uses two diagonals on the front and two straight stitches on the back: (2√2 + 2) × stitch width per strand, where the stitch width is 25.4 mm ÷ count. The tool multiplies that by the strands you stitch with and the number of stitches, adds an allowance for starting and finishing threads and for travelling on the back (50% by default — raise it for patterns with many scattered stitches), and rounds up to whole skeins.
This is an estimate of the thread used, not a guarantee: buy an extra skein of colours that cover large areas, so a later skein from another dye lot does not show.
Limitations
- Full cross stitches only: no backstitch, half or fractional stitches, French knots or blended threads.
- Colour matching uses approximate screen colours of the threads, so check the DMC numbers against a real colour card before you buy.
- Up to 500 stitches on the longer side and 60 colours. Large charts take a few seconds to build as PDF.
- Photos with fine detail need many stitches and colours; small charts work best from simple pictures with clear shapes.
- Only use pictures you have the right to turn into a pattern, especially if you share or sell it.
Privacy
Everything happens in your browser. What you enter or open here is not uploaded or stored by MySmartCoPilot.
Frequently asked questions
How many stitches wide should my pattern be?
Decide the finished width and multiply it by the fabric count: 8 inches on 14-count Aida is 112 stitches. Photos with faces or fine detail need more stitches than simple logos and icons — try a few widths and compare the preview.
How many colours should I use?
Fewer colours mean fewer skeins and a calmer chart; more colours show more shading and detail. Watch the preview while you change the number, and stop when adding colours no longer changes much.
Which fabric count should I choose?
Lower counts (11, 14) have bigger holes and stitches, which are easier to see and work — a good start if you are new to cross-stitch. Higher counts (16, 18) give a smaller, finer result from the same chart. The tool shows the finished size for the count you choose.
How many strands should I stitch with?
That depends on your fabric and how full you want the stitches to look — follow your kit or fabric instructions and test on a corner. The skein estimate uses the number of strands you set.
Are the DMC colours exact?
No. They are approximate screen colours from an open community data set, and screens and printers show colours differently. Compare the suggested numbers with a DMC colour card or the real skeins before you buy.
Is my picture uploaded?
No. The picture is read and converted by your browser, and the PDF is created on your device. Nothing is uploaded, and the tool works offline once the page has loaded.