HoopsyPhoto to cross-stitch pattern
Turn a photo into a counted cross-stitch chart in DMC floss colors: a symbol for every stitch, a bold line every 10 stitches, the finished size on your Aida, and the stitch count and skeins for each color. Print it or save it as a PDF. The photo never leaves your device.
Drag on the photo to move the frame onto your subject.
Your cross-stitch pattern appears here.
Nothing is uploaded.
Print / PDF: a cover page with the picture and the floss list, then the chart in parts of 50×60 stitches. Choose “Save as PDF” in the print dialog.
| Symbol | DMC | Color | Stitches | Skeins |
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A mobile app is on the way
The same pattern maker on your phone, with your floss stash and stitch progress. It isn't in the stores yet; this page stays free.
How it works
- Pick the size. Each cell of the chart is one full cross stitch. Set the width in stitches; the height follows the photo unless you untick the box and frame a different shape.
- Frame the photo. Drag the frame onto the subject and zoom in. Each stitch becomes the average color of the photo under it.
- Snap to DMC. Every stitch is matched to the closest of 454 DMC stranded cotton colors, using CIEDE2000, the color difference formula that tracks what the eye sees. If more colors are in use than you allowed, the color that costs the picture least is merged into its neighbor, again and again; small but distinct details, like eyes, keep their color.
- Clean up. A lone stitch with no neighbor of its color takes the color around it, so there is less confetti to stitch. Dithering is off by default for the same reason.
The chart shows a symbol and the color on every stitch, a bold line every 10 stitches and numbers at every tenth row and column, as in printed patterns. The legend lists the DMC number, the color name, the stitch count and an estimate of the skeins.
Aida count and finished size
The fabric count is how many stitches fit in one inch. The same chart gets smaller as the count goes up:
- 11-count — 100 stitches = 23.1 cm (9.1 in). Usually 3 strands.
- 14-count — 100 stitches = 18.1 cm (7.1 in). Usually 2 strands; the most common Aida.
- 16-count — 100 stitches = 15.9 cm (6.25 in). 2 strands.
- 18-count — 100 stitches = 14.1 cm (5.6 in). 1 or 2 strands.
- 22-count (Hardanger) — 100 stitches = 11.5 cm (4.5 in). 1 strand.
Cut the fabric with about 3 inches (7.5 cm) to spare on every side for framing; the tool adds that for you.
How the skein estimate works
A DMC stranded cotton skein is 8 m of six-strand floss. A full cross uses two diagonals plus about two stitch widths of travel on the back, times the number of strands. Add 50% for starting and finishing tails, and one skein covers about 1,800 stitches with 2 strands on 14-count, about 2,300 with 2 strands on 18-count, and about 1,000 with 3 strands on 11-count. Your own tension and habits change this, so treat it as a shopping estimate and buy one extra skein of the main colors.
Diamond painting
Most diamond painting drills are numbered with DMC codes, so the chart and legend work for a custom diamond painting too: one cell is one drill and the count is how many drills of that color you need (order extra, drills get lost). Drills are about 2.5–2.8 mm, so a chart 100 cells wide makes a canvas of roughly 25–28 cm. Check your supplier's color chart; a few brands use their own numbers.
Tips for a good pattern
One clear subject
A pet, a face, a house. Crop away busy backgrounds or stitch them in one color.
Size for detail
A face needs about 80 stitches across to read well; a simple shape works at 40–50.
Fewer colors
16 to 24 colors is a good start for a photo. Every color is another skein and another thread change.
Black-and-white print
Symbols only save ink and stay readable under a highlighter as you mark finished stitches.
Related tools
Fuse beads instead of floss? The same tool with Perler, Hama and Artkal colors is on pegpop.mef.space. For pixel art in a game palette or the photo's own colors, try the photo to pixel art converter.
Questions
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No. The pattern is made in your browser on this page. The photo is never sent to a server, and the tool keeps working offline once the page has loaded.
Where do the DMC colors come from?
From a widely used DMC-to-RGB table of 454 stranded cotton colors (published with the open-source CrossStitchCreator and reused in the R package dmc). RGB values on screen are approximations of the real floss, so compare close shades with a DMC color card.
How big will my cross-stitch be?
Divide the stitches by the fabric count: 140 stitches on 14-count Aida is 10 inches (25.4 cm). The tool shows the finished size for the Aida you pick and the fabric to cut with 3 inches (7.5 cm) to spare on each side.
How many skeins of floss do I need?
The legend estimates skeins per color from the stitch count, the Aida count and the number of strands. A DMC skein is 8 m of 6 strands; with 2 strands on 14-count one skein covers about 1,800 full cross stitches, including a 50% allowance for tails. Buy one extra of the main colors.
What fabric count should I choose?
14-count Aida with 2 strands is the usual start. 11-count (3 strands) is easier on the eyes and makes the picture bigger; 16 and 18-count make it smaller and finer.
Can I use it for diamond painting?
Yes. Most diamond painting drills are numbered with DMC codes, so the legend works as a drill list: one cell is one drill, and the count is the number of drills of that color. Check your drill supplier's chart, since a few brands use their own numbers.
What does dithering do?
Dithering mixes stitches of two colors to fake an in-between shade. It smooths gradients but adds many single stitches (confetti), so it is off by default.
Is it free?
Yes. No sign-up, no watermark, no limits. A mobile app is in the works.