Free online pattern generator

[explorer0713]

This afternoon I stumbled upon a cross stitch pattern generator I wasn't previously aware of as I folllowed links from one website to another to another as one does.

I ended up playing with it for over an hour and liked what I saw.

For those not familiar with online pattern generators, you upload a photo or other graphic, fill in a few blanks  regarding finished size desired, fabric count, number of colors to use, etc and the program creates a pattern for you.

 

I liked this one more than others I have tried because it is simpler and far more versatile. It is the only one I have seen that lets you do online image editing, such as cropping, brightness/contrast, converting to grayscale or sepia, etc. It also prints out a floss usage chart so you have a better idea how much of each color you will need.
 
All patterns are in whole cross stitch only.  There are no options available for half stitches or back stitching.  There is also no way to chart blended needles.

It really is very self-explanatory once you get there.  One thing to watch out for, though: the default floss brand is something called 'Ariadna'. The floss brand can easily be changed through a drop down menu and includes DMC and Anchor among others.   

Also available on this page is a text generator for when you want to convert a line of text into cross stitch - also very simple.   I just converts fonts, though.  None of the alphabets with flowers on the letter, for instance.

My only problem I had with it was that a couple of times when I opened the edit box I couldn't see the entire menu.  But I found that, when this happens,  if you scroll to the bottom of the page and then hit the edit button, the entire menu will appear.

WARNING: in patterns with many colors, symbols may be repeated.  I made a pattern with 76 colors and several symbols were used twice - for two very different colors.  In the couple I made with over 150 colors ( I like photo reproductions) some symbols were used as many as 4 times, for 4 different colors.  My guess is that the default floss brand has far fewer colors in the line than DMC and so it only has that number of symbols put into in the program.

In any event, worth taking a look at.

See it here: Coricamo.com 
 

 

 

** not affiliated with company in anyway as owner, employee or customer. Just thought it was nifty.

 

Comments

[tropicsbear]

I've been looking for an online cross stitch pattern maker. Thanks!

[tropicsbear]

I've recently gotten around to fiddling with the site and I am loving it! I have just one question -- the height and width are in number of stitches, right? Is there a way to find out how that would translate to cloth size?

[explorer0713]

If you press the "Advanced" button after uploading your file you will see the size listed as width and height.

Just above that is the unit of measure. The default is "Number of threads" which means "Number of stitches". If you click the down arrow to the right you will be given a choice to change it to inches or centimeters.

If you change these measurements to inches/centimeters you will then gain access to "Fabric type". Using the down arrow, find the one you want and click on it. The program will recalculate the stitch count.

If you know you want you pattern to be 80 stitches by 80 stitches and wonder what size that is on different fabrics, simply divide by the fabric count.

So, if you are using:

14 count Aida = 80/14=5.714 inches
16 count aida = 80/16=5 inches

and so on. These measurements are for the picture ONLY. Make sure to leave extra empty fabric on all sizes to accommodate whatever finishing technique you choose.

To save a pattern you will need to print it. You can either print it to paper or to a pdf file if you have pdf reader program. I have found it works best when you select the "symbols only b/w" option. Others tend to create huge files. You will still get a color photo of your image as the first page.

BE ADVISED: I have found that this program has a limited number of symbols at its disposal, because it only uses symbols instead of also using letters or numbers as most programs do. So, if you use 30 colors of less, you will be fine. Use more than 30 colors and the program will start using the symbols for a second time, so you could very easily have # being the symbol for both Red and blue, for instance.



I just printed mine to pdf and they were fine - no goofy shifting of lines or anything like sometimes happens.

[tropicsbear]

Thanks for all the help!

[tropicsbear]

Also omg I feel like such an idiot but how do I save the pattern once I've made it?