How to create your own cross stitch pattern in 3 steps

You love doing cross stitch, but nothing appeals to you among the patterns you see in craft stores. Did you know that it is easy to create your own? Here’s how.

How do you create your own cross stitch pattern?

Creating your cross stitch pattern from scratch is not only fun but easy. You get to customize the cross stitch the pattern that you want.

You only need three steps to create your cross stitch pattern:

• Choose your design.
• Trace the design on graph paper.
• Complete your cross stitch pattern.

1. Choose a design

You can create a customized cross stitch pattern to put a personal touch on your work. Choose from various ways you can customize your design.

Draw your own design

If you have a knack for sketching, you can draw your design from your imagination or copy an image that you want to cross stitch. You can draw by hand or use a program on the computer that can help you draw. If you are a newbie in cross stitch, you may want to draw the basic images first, like a rainbow, flowers, etc.

Move your designs up to the next level by drawing a scenery, your pet, or a friend. You can also incorporate letters and words into your customized cross stitch pattern.

Use a photograph

You can use a photograph for your cross stitch design. You can make a pattern out of a photo you took or an image you like straight from a magazine. It would be best to choose a photo with well-defined lines and has good color contrast to make it easier to convert the photo into a cross stitch pattern.

It will also help if your photo is already your preferred size to cross stitch. Otherwise, you can always scan or photocopy the image and resize it according to the size you want.

Get inspiration from other cross stitch patterns.

If you have no idea about what design to make, you can look at existing cross stitch patterns from books or online for inspiration. In some patterns, you may not agree with the color scheme, or some are not of your skill level. Looking at existing cross stitch patterns can help you decide what you want to create on your cross-stitch pattern.

2. Trace design on a graph paper

The next step is to trace your design on graph paper. A graph or grid paper is the perfect material to use to create a cross stitch pattern. Your graph paper must be large enough to cover the design completely. Put your graph paper over your design so that it is at the center below.

It is easier to trace an image if there is a light right coming from behind. You can either use a lightbox as your backlit surface. If you have no such resources, you can hold the image against a bright window on a sunny day.

Now you can trace the edges of the image on your graph paper with a pencil. Next, you can outline the more intricate parts of your image or drawing. It depends on your personal preference if you want your cross stitch to look basic or more detailed.

3. Complete your cross stitch pattern

The last step is completing your cross stitch pattern. Since this is your design pattern, you can decide on your preferred color scheme. You can use the same colors as your original photo or create your own color scheme. Use colored pencils to make the X marks on your pattern.

When you have decided on your color scheme, you can start filling each square on your design with an X mark where each X mark signifies one full cross stitch. You can use the different colors of your colored pencils to match the thread colors you want to use. Color your X marks the way you want your finished cross stitch would look.

If you do not have enough colored pencils to represent each color of your design, you can create symbols instead. You may use different symbols, such as circles for black, squares for orange, etc., to represent each color. You may also need to indicate the special stitches on your custom pattern to make it look as detailed as you like. Slash marks can indicate half stitches, and a solid dot can mark a grid with a French knot, to name a few examples.

Can I make my own cross stitch pattern?

You can design your cross stitch pattern in two ways; by drawing on graph paper and using a pattern maker online.

Cross stitch design by hand

You can choose to be traditional by using paper and pencil to make your cross stitch pattern. The things you need you can already find at home. It is also the least complicated way to make a cross stitch pattern unless you are more adept with a computer.

Making your cross stitch pattern by hand is cheap and simple but being simple is also its disadvantage. You can only make simple shapes and patterns on graph paper or perforated paper because an intricate design would be taxing and time-consuming.

But creating a cross stitch pattern by hand is the best option for newbies who want to make their patterns and some who are not comfortable working with computers.

Cross stitch design using a software

Times have changed, and methods to do things change with the times. Just as designing a cross stitch pattern which was once mostly done on paper, it can now be made on a computer, making more complicated patterns than were ever made before.

You can use two types of cross stitch pattern-making on a computer; the free online software or the paid-for online software.

The free versions of the cross-stitch pattern software have many limitations. You do not have to pay the price for the software, but the limitation on your design pays the price. You cannot do so much with the free versions as there are restrictions on fabric choices, thread colors, and sizes.

The paid-for online cross stitch pattern maker, on the other hand, creates more sophisticated designs but could take some time to learn the software.

If you have advanced cross-stitching skills, you will appreciate more the benefits of designing a pattern with paid-for software. Some popular examples are PC Stitch, which you can work on a desktop, and Stitch Sketch, accessible on a mobile device. There is no limit to your creativity when using these cross stitch pattern-maker software, but they come at a cost.

There is no right or wrong method in choosing the cross stitch pattern maker that would be best to use on a design you want. If you are more inventive in creating a cross stitch pattern by hand, then do so; such people are rarer these days. However, if you prefer to use the modern cross stitch pattern software, you will reap the benefits of making your designs more intricate in a short time.

What is the best program to make cross stitch patterns?

If you are in the stage of levelling up in your cross stitch journey, you may be thinking of designing your patterns. Good thing there are so many tools available now that can help you hit your goal. The problem now is choosing the best program among the countless pattern-making software available online that picking one out can be overwhelming.

Here is a list of the most popular and worthiest cross stitch pattern-making software you can find online.

1. PC Stitch

PC Stitch is a great cross stitch pattern maker which can help you make unique designs using a desktop/laptop and a web browser. It has all the bells and whistles that you may want in cross stitch pattern software. If you are using an Apple computer, the MacStitch is the compatible software.

With PC Stitch, you can easily import images, text, and graphics that you want to convert into a simple and easy-to-use online workspace which, of course, comes with a cost.

2. BlendThreads

This online software is one of the latest in the cross stitching field. It comes with more than 45 templates for different types of cross stitch patterns to choose from. The software uses simple instructions to guide you through the process, making it very user-friendly. Its best advantage over similar software is its advanced features in the printing area. A bit of a downside is the red side of the spectrum is a bit misbalanced.

3. DP Software Cross Stitch Pro Platinum

The DP Software Cross Stitch Pro Platinum can create professional-looking digital patterns due to its accurate color reproduction. If you want a realistic embroidery drawing, this online software is the way to go. It comes at a relatively high price, but it is also available in a free trial version.

4. StitchSketch

StitchSketch is a mobile app that you can use to design patterns for cross stitch. Using this mobile device pattern maker software, you can easily convert a photo into a chart with a touch-screen or a stylus pen. Bring your work anywhere you go.

5. StitchCraft

For a good quality cross stitch pattern-maker, StitchCraft can deliver your needs. You can sign-up for free, with quality support and a wide variety of patterns is available.

How do I create a cross stitch pattern in Excel?

If you are unaware that your computer can generate a cross stitch pattern, then now is that time. The built-in spreadsheet program Excel on your computer can help you create a cross stitch pattern.
Read on for a simple guide on making a cross stitch pattern chart using your built-in Excel program.

1. Begin by opening a standard Excel sheet. Create a grid by first clicking the tab above row 1 and left of column A. This step will highlight the entire sheet. Then, go to the top right-hand corner and click Format.
2. You can now create your chart. Click on row height and change the number to 0.4cm. You can change the number depending on the size of the square you want. Click ok, then go back to the format button. This time, click column width and adjust the number to 0.4 cm as well.
3. You will find that your Excel sheet now looks like a pattern chart. Now you can draw your cross stitches on the squares.
4. You can customize your pattern design by using the fill tool to highlight the squares that you like to fill. It would be best to outline your design first, then fill in the squares you need to color.
5. If you have an image that you want to copy, have it by your side for quick reference. You can also make your design right on the Excel sheet. No worries about making mistakes in filling your squares. You can always click the “no fill” tab on the drop-down menu to remove unwanted highlights.
6. You can choose different color shades from the standard and theme colors menu to highlight the squares that make up your pattern. Remember that there is a wider variety of colors to choose from by going into the fill tool and clicking “more colors”.
7. After filling in all the needed colors for your design, you can use the line tool to create the outline for your design. You can do this by clicking on the border tab. Choose the sides of the design you need to put a border. Creating the outline for your design can show the areas where you need to backstitch and the places of the fractional stitches.
   If you need to print your design, you would need the border tab to create the grids to count your stitches. Click the border tool, then select “all borders”. You now have a pattern chart for printing.

Using Excel on your computer is an economical way of using technology to make patterns faster and easier. It can also give you more confidence to move forward to more advanced cross stitch design software.