Aida 11, 14, 16 or 18: which count should you choose?

The same chart on different fabric

The chart does not change. The fabric does. A 100 × 140 stitch design — a typical portrait — finishes at these sizes:

Which one to buy

• Aida 11 — big, obvious holes. The right choice for children, for anyone learning, and for stitching in poor light. Uses noticeably more thread and makes large pieces.
• Aida 14 — the standard. Almost every kit and chart assumes it. Start here unless you have a reason not to.
• Aida 16 — a modest step up in detail. The same design comes out about 12% smaller than on 14.
• Aida 18 — detailed and compact, and where most people start to want a lamp and a magnifier. Often worked with one strand rather than two.
• Aida 20 and finer — for miniatures and experienced hands. Beautiful, slow, unforgiving.

Evenweave and linen count differently

This catches everyone once. Aida is woven in blocks and you stitch one block per stitch, so the count on the label is the stitches per inch. Evenweave and linen count individual threads, and cross stitch on them is conventionally worked over two threads.

So 28-count linen gives 14 stitches per inch — exactly the same finished size as 14-count Aida — and 32-count linen matches Aida 16. If you have been avoiding linen because 28 sounded impossibly fine, that is why it is not.

Colour of the fabric

White and antique white are the safe choices and what most charts assume. A darker fabric changes how every thread reads against it, and pale threads may need three strands to cover instead of two.

If the design has large areas of unstitched background, the fabric colour is part of the picture rather than a backdrop — choose it as deliberately as a thread.

How to decide in practice

Work backwards from the size you want on the wall. Decide how big the finished piece should be, then pick the count that gets you there at a stitch count you are willing to sew — the pattern generator shows the finished size in centimetres as you move the fabric and size controls, so you can see both at once before committing to anything.

Common questions

What does the count on Aida mean?

The number of stitches in one inch. 14-count Aida gives 14 stitches per inch, so a higher number means smaller stitches and a smaller finished piece from the same chart.

Is 28-count linen harder than 14-count Aida?

It comes out the same size, because linen is worked over two threads: 28-count linen is 14 stitches per inch. The holes are less obvious than Aida's, which some people find harder and others prefer.

How many strands should I use?

Three on 11-count, two on 14 and 16, one or two on 18 and finer. If the fabric shows through more than you want, add a strand; if the stitches look crowded, drop one.

How much fabric should I buy?

The finished size plus at least 5 cm on every side — more if it is going in a hoop or being framed with a mount. Fabric is cheap compared with having to restart.

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