How much fabric do I need?
Short answer
Take the design size and add 10 cm to each dimension, which leaves 5 cm of bare fabric on every side. On 14-count Aida a 100 × 80 stitch design is 18.1 × 14.5 cm, so cut 28 × 25 cm. Every pattern prints its finished size in centimetres and inches on the first page, for the fabric you picked, so the margin is the only arithmetic left to do. If the piece is going into a frame rather than staying in a hoop, make it 7.5 cm a side instead.
The design size is not the fabric size
The finished size is the stitched area and nothing else. The fabric has to be bigger, for three reasons that have nothing to do with the design: a frame or a hoop grips the bare edge, cut Aida frays as you handle it, and the few centimetres you hold for months get grubby in a way the middle does not.
Cutting it generously costs almost nothing. Cutting it 2 cm short cannot be fixed — fabric cannot be added at the edge, and a join would show through the stitching.
What to cut, by stitch count
| Stitches | Design on Aida 14 | Fabric to cut |
|---|---|---|
| 50 × 50 | 9.1 × 9.1 cm | 20 × 20 cm |
| 80 × 60 | 14.5 × 10.9 cm | 25 × 21 cm |
| 100 × 80 | 18.1 × 14.5 cm | 29 × 25 cm |
| 150 × 120 | 27.2 × 21.8 cm | 38 × 32 cm |
| 200 × 160 | 36.3 × 29.0 cm | 47 × 39 cm |
Design size on 14-count Aida, and the cut size with 5 cm to spare on every side, rounded up. A finer count makes the design smaller; the margin stays as it is.
How much margin, and why
- 5 cm a side is the floor. Less than that and the cut edge reaches the stitching before you have finished.
- 7.5 cm a side if it will be mounted and framed: the fabric has to wrap a mounting board and be laced or pinned at the back.
- 10 cm a side for stretcher bars, or if a framer is doing the work. A framer would rather trim than wish for more.
- A hemmed, fringed or hand-finished edge needs whatever that finish takes, on top of the margin.
Working it out for any fabric
Divide the stitches by the fabric's stitches per inch, then multiply by 2.54 for centimetres. Do it for the width and the height separately, and add the margin at the end — to each dimension, not to each side.
- Aida works one stitch per block, so the count on the bolt is the stitches per inch: 14-count Aida is 14.
- Evenweave and linen count woven threads and are worked over two of them, so halve the number: 28-count linen is also 14 stitches per inch, and finishes exactly the size of 14-count Aida.
- 200 stitches on 14-count: 200 ÷ 14 = 14.3 inches, × 2.54 = 36.3 cm. Plus 10 cm, cut 47 cm.
Buying it
Fabric comes pre-cut in standard pieces, as a fat quarter, or off the roll by the metre. Pre-cut sizes are generous for small designs and awkward for large ones, and the next size up almost always costs less than the hour you would spend worrying about it.
Buy one piece rather than two. Check that the cut is on the grain — the weave should run parallel to the edges — and if the design is large, that the count is even across the whole piece rather than loosening towards one end.
If the fabric you have is too small
- Move to a finer count. The same chart on 18-count Aida is around a fifth smaller in each direction than on 14-count.
- Lower the stitch count and generate the pattern again. Fewer stitches on the same fabric is a smaller piece, with less detail.
- A hoop smaller than the design is not a problem: you move it as you work and press the ring marks out at the end. A piece of fabric smaller than the design is a problem.
- Do not add fabric at the edge. There is no join that survives being stitched over.
Common questions
- How much extra fabric should I leave around a cross-stitch design?
- At least 5 cm on every side, so 10 cm added to the width and 10 cm to the height. Make it 7.5 cm a side if the piece is going to be mounted and framed.
- How do I convert stitches to centimetres?
- Divide the number of stitches by the fabric's stitches per inch and multiply by 2.54. On 14-count Aida, 100 stitches is 100 ÷ 14 × 2.54 = 18.1 cm.
- Can my hoop be smaller than the design?
- Yes. Most people work a large piece in a hoop that covers part of it and move the hoop along. Press the marks out when the stitching is finished.
- What if I cut the fabric too small?
- Fabric cannot be extended at the edge. Either stitch the chart on a finer count so the design comes out smaller, or lower the stitch count and generate it again.
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Updated 06/10/2026