Turn a photo into a cross stitch pattern
Upload a picture and get a counted chart back — every square matched to a real DMC floss number, a symbol printed in each one, and the whole thing as a PDF you can print at home. You see exactly how it charts before you pay a penny.
From $9. No account needed. Your photo is charted and discarded — we never store it and never sell it.
How it works
- 1
Pick a size
Small, standard or large. This sets the stitch count and so how big the finished piece is.
- 2
Upload your picture
We chart it straight away and show you the result, watermarked. Nothing is stored.
- 3
Download the PDF
Pay and the chart is yours: floss key, DMC numbers, symbols on every square.
Sizes and prices
| Size | Stitches | On 14 count | Colours | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 100 long edge | 7.1" | up to 20 | $9 |
| Standard | 150 long edge | 10.7" | up to 26 | $14 |
| Large | 200 long edge | 14.3" | up to 32 | $19 |
Stitching more than one? A membership includes unlimited custom charts alongside the whole catalogue.
Which photos chart well
These work
- One face or one animal filling the frame
- A plain or blurred background
- Even light, with the subject facing the camera
- Strong shapes — a silhouette, a pet's head, a building
These fight back
- Group shots taken from a distance
- Busy backgrounds — foliage, crowds, patterned wallpaper
- Very dark photos, where everything collapses to one shade
- Fine text or thin lines, which cannot survive the grid
The preview flags it when a chart comes back busy, so you will know before you buy rather than after.
Questions
- Can you really make a cross stitch pattern from a photo?
- Yes. Upload a picture and you get a counted chart back: every square matched to a real DMC floss number, with a symbol printed in it so the chart still works from a black and white printer. You see the result before you pay for it.
- What kind of photo works best for cross stitch?
- A close crop with a plain background and good light. Cross stitch has no blending, so detail has to survive being reduced to a few hundred squares: one face fills the frame beautifully, a group shot taken from across a garden does not. If your picture charts badly we tell you on the preview, before any money changes hands.
- Does it work for pet portraits?
- Pets are the most common use and they chart well, because fur reads as texture rather than fine detail. Fill the frame with the animal's head and shoulders and keep the background simple.
- How much does a custom cross stitch pattern cost?
- Small is $9, standard is $14 and large is $19. The difference is the stitch count and so the finished size. A membership includes unlimited custom charts.
- What size will the finished piece be?
- The tier sets the long edge in stitches and the short edge follows your photo, so nothing is cropped or stretched. On 14-count aida, small finishes around 7 inches, standard around 10½ and large around 14. The cover page of every PDF lists the size on 14, 16 and 18 count.
- How many thread colours will I need?
- Up to 20 on a small chart and 32 on a large one, though most photos use fewer. The floss key lists every DMC number with how many stitches it covers and how many skeins to buy, and names the commonest shade so you can buy aida in that colour and leave those squares bare if you want to save the work.
- Is it full cross stitch, or are there fractional stitches?
- Whole cross stitch only. No half stitches, no quarter stitches, no backstitch outline to add afterwards. Two strands over one on 14-count is the assumption throughout.
- What do I actually get?
- A PDF: a cover with the stitch count and finished sizes, a floss key with DMC numbers and skein counts, then the chart itself in 50-stitch blocks with a heavy line every ten squares so you can count without losing your place.
- Do you keep my photo?
- No. Your picture is charted the moment it arrives and then discarded — it is never written to disk, never stored against your order, and never sold or added to our shop. The chart is kept so you can download it again; the photograph is not.
- Do I need an account?
- No. Pay and the download link is on screen immediately and emailed to you as well. An account is only useful if you want everything you have bought kept in one place.
- Can I use it for a photo I did not take?
- Only if you have the right to. Charting someone else's photograph, or a picture of a character or logo you do not own, is your call and your responsibility — and the chart is for your own stitching, not for resale.
Or start from one of ours
Hundreds of charts already drawn, same format, same floss keys.