Prepare your picture first
Give your subject enough chart cells, check the background, and balance detail against stitching workload.
Photo-preparation guideFrom a picture to your first stitch.
Find the guide for the decision in front of you. Start with your own image, or learn the basics on a small blank chart.
Draw your first small chart
Practice on a blank grid, keep your palette manageable, and save an editable backup.
First-pattern exerciseChoose fabric count and size
Compare 14, 16, and 18 count. See how the same stitch grid produces different finished sizes.
Fabric-count comparisonSimplify your thread colors
Review similar shades and isolated stitches while keeping the details that make the subject recognizable.
Palette refinement guideRead the chart and thread key
Match a symbol to its thread, count grid squares, locate the center, and understand page overlap.
Chart-reading guidePrepare a readable printout
Choose color or symbol charts, page density, paper size, and a regenerated PDF preview.
Printing guidePrefer to learn from a real result?
Our worked examples include source images, actual charts, settings, and editable projects. Compare a transparent motif with a fully stitched landscape, then try your own image.
Keep these beside your project
- Photo conversion troubleshooting — find help for lost details, isolated stitches, and unwanted background coverage.
- Image conversion workflow — use the crop, size and palette settings after preparing your picture.
- Lettering generator — arrange a name or sampler message in an editable stitch grid.
- Fabric calculator — finished dimensions and cut size with a per-side allowance.
- Floss calculator — estimate skeins per color, with fabric count, strands, and an adjustable extra allowance.
- Backups and moving projects — protect local work and transfer it to another browser.
- Choosing a beginner project — judge workload, chart clarity, and color changes.