Guides

The questions that come up

Short, specific answers about thread, fabric and charts — the things worth knowing before you buy anything.

How to turn a photo into a cross-stitch pattern

What makes a photo work as a cross-stitch chart, what to fix before converting it, and what no converter can rescue.

What the count on a piece of Aida means, how it changes the finished size, and which one to buy for your eyes and your project.

Work out what to cut from the stitch count: the design size on your fabric, the margin to add, and what to do when the piece you own is too small.

The seven things that are actually on the list, what each one has to be, and the four a craft shop will sell you before you need them.

Two strands and a size 24 tapestry needle on 14-count Aida, with a table for every other count, and how to separate floss so it lies flat.

The loop start for an even number of strands, the away waste knot for an odd one, and how to end a thread so that it holds.

Work out how much DMC floss a cross-stitch pattern needs, with a table by stitch count and the reason estimates run generous.

The trade-off between detail and hours, how many DMC colours different subjects actually need, and why more is not better.

Grid, symbols, legend and centre marks explained, plus how to start a chart in the right place and keep your place in it.

What DMC numbers mean, how the families are organised, what a dye lot is, and how patterns pick a thread for a colour.

What changes when every square is stitched: gridding the fabric, working in blocks, parking threads, and the hours it really takes.

How to wash months of handling out of a finished cross stitch, press it without flattening the stitches, and mount it so it stays flat for years.

Build a pattern for free and only spend a credit when you love it.