acalculator

How big is my cross stitch?

Type the pattern’s stitch count, your fabric count and the margin you want. The cross stitch calculator shows the finished design size and the piece of fabric to cut, in inches and centimetres.

Your numbers

Units
Stitch over
Fabric width (in)
16

Cut fabric 16 × 20.29 in for a design 10 × 14.29 in.

Fabric height (in)
20.29
Fabric width (cm)
40.64
Fabric height (cm)
51.53
Design width (in)
10
Design height (in)
14.29
Design width (cm)
25.4
Design height (cm)
36.29
Stitches per inch
14

Fabric width (in): 16. Cut fabric 16 × 20.29 in for a design 10 × 14.29 in.

How to calculate

Computes a cross stitch design’s finished size from its stitch count and the fabric count, and how much fabric to cut with a margin, in inches and centimetres.

Example with the default inputs (Stitches wide 140, Stitches high 200, Fabric count 14, Stitch over 1 (Aida), Margin on each side 3 in): Cut fabric 16 × 20.29 in for a design 10 × 14.29 in.

Method: Stitches per inch = fabric count ÷ threads per stitch; design size = stitches ÷ stitches per inch; fabric size = design size + 2 × margin; centimetres = inches × 2.54.

  • The fabric count is per inch. On Aida each stitch covers one block; on evenweave and linen it usually covers two threads.
  • The margin is 3 in on each side by default, room for a hoop and for framing.
  • Stitches are square: the fabric has the same count both ways.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Stitches wide 140, Stitches high 200, Fabric count 14, Stitch over 1 (Aida), Margin on each side 3 in gives Design width (in) 10, Design height (in) 14.285714, Fabric width (in) 16, Fabric height (in) 20.285714.Source: DMC, What Fabric Should You Use for Cross Stitch? (the count is the number of stitches you can make in an inch). https://www.dmc.com/US/en/technique-cross-stitch-what-fabric
  2. Stitches wide 112, Stitches high 84, Fabric count 28, Stitch over 2 threads, Margin on each side 2 in gives Stitches per inch 14, Design width (in) 8, Design height (in) 6, Fabric width (in) 12, Fabric height (cm) 25.4.Source: DMC, What Fabric Should You Use for Cross Stitch? (working over two: each cross stitch covers two warp and two weft threads). https://www.dmc.com/US/en/technique-cross-stitch-what-fabric
  3. Stitches wide 100, Stitches high 100, Fabric count 18, Stitch over 1 (Aida), Margin on each side 1.969 in gives Design width (cm) 14.111111, Fabric width (cm) 24.111111.Source: DMC, What Fabric Should You Use for Cross Stitch? https://www.dmc.com/US/en/technique-cross-stitch-what-fabric

How it works

  • Stitches per inch = fabric count ÷ threads per stitch (1 on Aida, 2 when stitching over two)
  • Design width = stitches wide ÷ stitches per inch; design height = stitches high ÷ stitches per inch
  • Fabric width = design width + 2 × margin; fabric height = design height + 2 × margin
  • Centimetres = inches × 2.54

Exact arithmetic. Every number is read as the exact decimal you typed (a margin typed in cm is read back exactly in cm), and every step is an exact fraction, rounded once for display.

Output format. Every size shows at most 2 decimals, rounded half up from its exact value, with trailing zeros left off. In Metric the answer leads with the fabric size in centimetres.

Assumptions

  • The fabric count is per inch and the same in both directions, so stitches are square.
  • Margin: 3 in on each side by default; 0 to 100 in. Stitch counts are whole numbers from 1 to 100,000; the count is 1 to 100.

Worked examples by hand

140 × 200 stitches on 14-count Aida, 3 in margins. 140 ÷ 14 = 10 in; 200 ÷ 14 = 14.29 in; fabric 10 + 6 = 16 in by 14.29 + 6 = 20.29 in.

112 × 84 stitches on 28-count evenweave over two, 2 in margins. 28 ÷ 2 = 14 per inch; 112 ÷ 14 = 8 in, 84 ÷ 14 = 6 in; fabric 12 in by 10 in = 25.4 cm.

100 × 100 stitches on 18-count, 5 cm margins. 100 ÷ 18 = 5.556 in × 2.54 = 14.11 cm; fabric 14.11 + 10 = 24.11 cm.

Other questions people ask

How do I work out the size of a cross stitch design?

Divide the stitch count by the stitches per inch of your fabric. A pattern 140 stitches wide on 14-count Aida is 140 ÷ 14 = 10 inches wide. Do the same for the height.

How much fabric do I need for cross stitch?

Add a margin to every side of the design size. With a 3 in margin, a 10 × 14.29 in design needs fabric of 10 + 6 = 16 in by 14.29 + 6 = 20.29 in.

What does fabric count mean?

On Aida, the count is how many stitches fit in an inch: 14-count Aida takes 14 stitches per inch. On evenweave and linen it is the threads per inch; stitching over two threads halves it, so 28-count over two is 14 stitches per inch.

How big a margin should I leave?

Many stitchers leave 2 to 3 inches on each side: enough for a hoop or frame to grip and for mounting or framing later. The calculator uses 3 inches by default; type your own.

Does a higher count make the design smaller?

Yes. The same 140-stitch pattern is 10 in wide on 14-count, 8.75 in on 16-count and 7.78 in on 18-count, because more stitches fit in each inch.

How do I convert the size to centimetres?

Multiply inches by 2.54. The page shows both. For metric fabric sold in stitches per cm, multiply that number by 2.54 to get the count per inch (5.5 per cm is about 14 per inch).