Jernej LeticaPhotography Tools & Stories
Photo Printing

Cross Stitch Pattern Maker with DMC Thread Colours

Set the stitches, fabric count and thread colours, then save a printable chart with DMC numbers. Your photo stays in your browser.

Built and written by Jernej Letica

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How to make a cross stitch pattern

  1. Drop in one JPG, PNG or WebP photo. It opens in your browser and goes nowhere else.
  2. Pick a crop shape and drag the frame over the part you want to stitch. Faces need the tightest crop.
  3. Set the width in stitches, the thread colours and the fabric count. The finished size updates in cm and inches.
  4. Check the stitch preview, switch to the symbol chart, and tick Remove stray single stitches if the chart looks speckled.
  5. Choose A4 or Letter and press Download PDF pattern. Print it at Actual size so the squares keep their size.

Why I start at 100 stitches and 20 colours

I am a photographer, so I built this the way I think about a print: first the size on the wall, then the detail that size can hold. My starting point is 100 stitches wide, 20 colours and 14-count fabric. A 6000 × 4000 px photo then becomes 100 × 67 stitches, which is 6,700 crosses and a piece of 18.1 × 12.2 cm, or 7.1 × 4.8 in, before any border.

That is a modest project, and it still tells you whether a photo works as stitches. If it reads at 100 wide, more stitches will only improve it. If it turns to mush, I change the crop before I add anything. The table shows the same pattern on the fabric counts people ask about most. The stitches stay the same; the cloth decides how big they end up.

The same 100 × 67 pattern on five fabrics

FabricFinished sizeIn inchesCrosses from one skein
11-count23.1 × 15.5 cm9.1 × 6.1 in1,793
14-count18.1 × 12.2 cm7.1 × 4.8 in2,283
18-count14.1 × 9.5 cm5.6 × 3.7 in2,935
22-count11.5 × 7.7 cm4.5 × 3.0 in3,587
28-count9.1 × 6.1 cm3.6 × 2.4 in4,566

The size is stitches divided by count, times 2.54 for centimetres. The skein column is a rough estimate with the assumption spelled out below.

What each setting changes

Width sets how much detail the pattern can hold, from 10 to 300 stitches. The height follows your crop. Thread colours sets a ceiling from 2 to 50; a plain photo may use fewer. Fabric count changes only the finished size and the skein estimate, never the chart, so you can decide on the cloth last.

Fabric count means stitches per inch. On linen or evenweave worked over two threads, halve the thread count first: 28-count over two behaves like 14-count here.

How the DMC colours are chosen

The table holds 454 DMC numbers with a name and a screen colour. Each part of the photo first takes its closest thread by CIEDE2000, a colour difference formula built to follow what the eye sees. The thread list is then merged down to your limit, cheapest merge first, so a small bright detail can outlast one of two near-identical skin tones. There is no random step, so the same photo and settings give the same pattern.

Screen colours are approximations. DMC publishes no RGB values, and a monitor is not cotton, so hold the real skeins together before you buy a whole list.

How the skein estimate works

I assume a skein of 8 m with six strands, two strands in the needle and 20 % waste for starts, ends and travel across the back. One cross uses two diagonals on the front and two straight runs behind. That gives about 2,283 crosses from a skein on 14-count. Your own tension and habits will move this figure, so buy one more of your main colours.

Tips for better results

  • Try the crop before the settings. A tight crop gains more than extra colours do.
  • Fewer colours make cleaner charts. Add them back only where a face or sky needs them.
  • Tick Remove stray single stitches on busy photos; a lone stitch costs a whole thread start.
  • Add a border to your fabric: the finished size is the stitched area only.
  • Compare the real skeins in daylight and swap a number yourself if one looks wrong.

Privacy

Your photo never leaves your device. The pattern and the PDF are made in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make my own cross stitch pattern?

Open a photo here, crop it, then set the width in stitches, the thread colours and the fabric count. The tool matches every stitch to a DMC number and saves a PDF with colour chart, symbol chart and thread list.

How big is 100 stitches on 14-count fabric?

It is 18.1 cm, or 7.1 inches. Divide the stitches by the fabric count to get inches, then multiply by 2.54 for centimetres. On 18-count the same 100 stitches come to 14.1 cm.

How many thread colours should a pattern use?

I start at 20 for a photo of a person or a landscape. The tool takes 2 to 50. Graphic subjects often look better near 10, and every extra colour means another skein to buy and another thread to park.

Are the DMC colours on screen exact?

No. DMC publishes no RGB values, so the table uses a community list of screen colours for 454 threads. The numbers are real thread numbers, but compare the actual skeins before you commit to a large piece.

Is this cross stitch pattern maker free?

Yes. There is no account, no watermark and no limit on patterns, and the PDF is yours to print. Everything runs in your browser, which is also why your photo is never uploaded anywhere.

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