Cross stitch pattern maker
Turn any photo into a cross stitch pattern with real DMC colours, skein counts and a printable chart. Free to use, and your photo never leaves your device.
Drop a photo hereStart with a photo
or paste an image with Ctrl+V. Your photo stays on your device.
- All 454 DMC thread colours
- Stray-stitch clean-up
- Edit every stitch
- Printable PDF
How it works
- Add a photo. Drop in a pet, a person, a place or a logo. Crop it close around what matters.
- Set the size and colours. Choose how many stitches wide and the most colours to use. The pattern updates as you go.
- Tidy and edit. Clean up stray stitches, swap colours, and touch up any square by hand.
- Download the PDF. Print the chart and thread key, buy your DMC floss, and start stitching.
Getting a good pattern from a photo
- Pick a clear, well-lit photo. Soft daylight works best. Strong shadows turn into blocks of dark thread.
- Crop tightly. The subject should fill most of the picture. Use the crop tool to cut away busy backgrounds.
- Keep colours in proportion to size. Around 10 to 20 colours suits most designs under 100 stitches. Portraits over 150 stitches can use 30 or more.
- Leave the background unstitched for pets and objects. It saves hours and lets the fabric show through.
- Check the Preview view. It shows the finished piece in stitches on your chosen fabric colour.
How big will it be?
The finished size depends on the fabric count, which is how many stitches fit in one inch. Here is how wide a 100-stitch pattern comes out:
| Fabric | Stitches per inch | 100 stitches wide | Usual strands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11-count Aida | 11 | 9.1 in (23.1 cm) | 3 |
| 14-count Aida | 14 | 7.1 in (18.1 cm) | 2 |
| 16-count Aida | 16 | 6.3 in (15.9 cm) | 2 |
| 18-count Aida | 18 | 5.6 in (14.1 cm) | 2 |
| 28-count evenweave over 2 | 14 | 7.1 in (18.1 cm) | 2 |
The pattern maker works this out for you and tells you how big to cut your fabric. You can also use the fabric and skein calculator.
No photo to hand? Start from one of the free cross stitch patterns, look up any thread on the DMC color chart, or stitch a name with the cross stitch text generator.
Patterns that are easier to stitch
Fewer stray stitches
Clean-up merges lone specks of colour into their surroundings, so you change thread less often.
Real DMC colours
Colours are matched the way your eye sees them, not just by numbers, then snapped to the nearest DMC shade.
Skeins worked out
The key shows stitches and skeins for each colour on your fabric, so you buy the right amount.
Edit anything
Draw, fill, erase, swap and merge colours, with undo for every change.
Questions
Is the cross stitch pattern maker free?
Yes. You can make, edit and download patterns up to 80 × 80 stitches with up to 16 colours for free, with no sign-up. Pro removes the limits for bigger patterns, up to 400 × 400 stitches and 60 colours.
Does my photo get uploaded?
No. Your photo is turned into a pattern inside your browser and never leaves your device. If you save a pattern to your account, we store the finished chart and a small preview, not your photo.
Which thread colours does it use?
Every colour is a real DMC stranded cotton colour, chosen from all 454 DMC shades by how close they look to the eye. The key lists each DMC number with how many stitches and skeins you need.
How big should my pattern be?
For a pet or portrait, 100 to 150 stitches wide gives good detail. On 14-count Aida, 100 stitches is about 7.1 inches (18 cm). Smaller patterns of 40 to 80 stitches suit simple shapes, logos and first projects.
What does stray-stitch clean-up do?
Photo patterns often scatter single stitches of odd colours, which are slow to sew. Clean-up merges these specks into the colour around them. Medium is a good default; use Strong or Max for faster stitching with less detail.
Can I edit the pattern?
Yes. Draw, fill and erase stitches, swap any colour for another DMC colour, merge two colours, or leave a colour unstitched. Undo and redo work for every change.
What is in the PDF?
A cover with a picture of the finished piece and its size, a thread key with DMC numbers and skein counts, and a gridded chart split across pages with numbered rows and columns, bold lines every 10 stitches and centre marks. You can choose colour, black and white, or both.