Cross-stitch fabric size, stitches to inches, plus a border.
Stitches wide and high, the fabric and its count: the size of the stitched design and the piece of Aida, evenweave or linen to cut, with the border you choose.
The design
The fabric
How it works
The count of a cross-stitch fabric is how many stitches fit in an inch, so the higher the count, the smaller the stitches (DMC). The stitched design is stitches ÷ stitches per inch in each direction, and the piece to cut adds the border twice: design + 2 × border.
On Aida each cross covers one square, so stitches per inch is the count. On evenweave and linen a cross is usually worked over two threads each way, which halves it: Wikipedia's example is 28-count fabric over two, which stitches to the same size as 14-count Aida over one. Fabric counts run from about 11 to 40 (Wikipedia).
The border
Neither DMC's guides nor Wikipedia give a standard border, so the calculator does not pretend to one. It starts at 3 inches on each side; change it for how you will finish the piece - enough to reach past your hoop, and to turn under or lace round a board if it will be framed.
- DMC recommends 14-count Aida to beginners: the holes are easy to see and the stitches come out even.
- Measure the chart's stitches at its widest and tallest points, not the size of the printed picture.
- The same design gets smaller as the count goes up: 140 stitches are 10 inches on 14 count and about 7.8 inches on 18 count.