Draw
Charts can be up to 300 by 300 stitches, with up to 16 layers you can show or hide.
- Brush, fill, line and shape tools
- Gradients that step through DMC shades
- Blends of two threads in one needle
- Block letters
Free in your browser · App preview for web and Windows
Free cross-stitch pattern maker and stitch tracker
Turn a photo or drawing into a cross-stitch pattern, or draw one square by square. Mark stitches off as you finish them, then print it in color, in black and white, or both, with a thread key. It all runs in your browser. You don't need an account, and your files aren't uploaded.
Threads
Click or tap a square to mark it, or drag across several.
Free in any modern browser
What the designer does
Convert
Start from your own artwork or photo. Colors are matched to DMC floss, and the picture stays on your device.
- Up to 128 colors
- Crop, rotate or flip the picture first
Track
The thread list shows how many stitches of each color you've done, out of the total.
- Mark with a tap, a drag or the keyboard
- Jump to the next unfinished stitch
Print and save
Print the pattern with a thread key, or save it as a PDF. You can also download it as an OXS file or a project backup.
- Skein estimates for each thread
- A thread checklist to download as a spreadsheet
- A fabric calculator
Stitch tracker
Keep your place in a chart
Mark each square when you've stitched it. Pick a thread and the other colors fade. Press N to jump to the next square you haven't stitched.
- Drag to mark a run of squares. With a thread picked, the drag skips every other color.
- You can undo and redo your recent changes.
- Progress is saved in your browser as you go. Download a backup to keep a copy somewhere else.
Keyboard shortcuts Designer
- ←↑→↓
- Move between squares
- Space
- Mark the square
- NP
- Next or previous unfinished stitch
- 1 to 9
- Pick a thread
- CtrlZ
- Undo
Thread progress Example
- DMC 350 Medium Coral412 / 520
- DMC 823 Dark Blue188 / 301
- DMC 3812 Very Dark Seagreen96 / 240
- DMC 3820 Dark Straw0 / 75
Picture to pattern
Turn a drawing or photo into a chart
Choose a picture, then set the chart size and the most colors it may use. You see a preview in DMC colors before any chart is made.
- Adjust brightness and contrast, and drop a white or light background so it isn't stitched.
- Clear out stray single stitches. You see the change before it's applied.
- Trace over the picture with an overlay on the chart. The overlay doesn't print.
Printed patterns
Print the pattern at home
Each page holds up to 50 columns and 60 rows, so a large chart spreads over several sheets. The thread key follows the chart pages. Every page carries a light diagonal StitchenApp watermark.
- Color, black and white, or both. Every copy has symbols in the squares and its own thread key.
- Numbered pages say which rows and columns they cover, with a heavier line every 10 stitches.
- Your progress can print too. Finished stitches show as gray squares, so a fresh copy picks up where you are.
Stitchmate, FlossCross and Pattern Keeper
How Stitchen compares
| What you get | StitchenBrowser tools and app preview | StitchmateWeb pattern maker | FlossCrossWeb pattern maker | Pattern KeeperAndroid PDF reader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Print your own pattern | FreeUnlimited, in color, black and white or both, with a light StitchenApp watermark | $5.99 per patternOr a pass from $14.99 for 30 days [1] | FreePDF export [4] | Not offeredOpens charts but doesn't make them [6] |
| Account needed to start | None | None to designNeeded for PDF import and sync [2] | None[4] | Google PlayPurchase tied to a Play account [7] |
| Projects you can keep | No set limitYour browser's storage space is the only cap | 10 on the free tierPatterns you've paid for don't count [1] | 3 slotsExport and erase to start a fourth [5] | Not applicable: reads your PDFs |
| Stitch tracking | FreeIn the browser designer | FreeCan't start offline [3] | NoneExports a PDF for Pattern Keeper [5] | YesAbout $9 after a one-month trial [6] [7] |
| Design and photo conversion | Yes | Yes | Yes | No[6] |
| Where your files are read | On your deviceDesigner, converter, OXS checker and app import | MixedPhotos on your device; PDF import on their servers [2] | In your browser[4] | On your phone or tabletNo cloud sync. You move your progress between devices yourself. [7] |
| Open PDF patterns you bought | App previewPDF and image patterns, read on your device | Early accessVector PDFs only, uploaded, account needed [2] | NoOXS and its own format only [5] | YesWorks with many designers, not all [8] |
| OXS import and export | BothPlus a free OXS file checker | Both[2] | Both[4] | Not listed |
| Where it runs | Any modern browserPlus web and Windows app previews | BrowserMac and Windows apps in early access [3] | Browser | Android onlyiOS in early development [6] |
| Stitch types in the editor | Full crosses in the designerThe app preview's chart editor adds half and quarter stitches, backstitch, knots and beads | Full, half, quarter, three-quarter, backstitch, French knots[2] | Full, half, petite, backstitch[4] | Full crosses[7] |
| Largest chart | 300 × 300Browser designer | 2,000 × 2,000[2] | 300 × 300[5] | Not applicable |
Checked against each product's own website on 4 October 2026. Prices are in US dollars as listed. Pattern Keeper says its exact price depends on exchange rates and local tax, and Stitchmate says tax may apply depending on where you live. The numbers in brackets link to the sources below.
- Stitchmate pricing, stitchmate.app/pricing
- Stitchmate features, chart size, OXS and PDF import, stitchmate.app/features, stitchmate.app/cross-stitch-pattern-maker, stitchmate.app/tools/open-oxs-file and stitchmate.app/tools/open-pdf-pattern
- Stitchmate stitch counter and desktop app, stitchmate.app/stitch-counter and stitchmate.app/desktop
- FlossCross home page, flosscross.com
- FlossCross designer, flosscross.com/designer
- Pattern Keeper home page, patternkeeper.app
- Pattern Keeper FAQ, patternkeeper.app/faq
- Pattern Keeper supported designers, patternkeeper.app/supported-designers
The Stitchen app
An app for the PDF patterns you already own
The app reads a PDF or image pattern on your device and turns it into a chart you can mark as you stitch. Preview
Import
Open a PDF, image or OXS file and the app looks for the chart on its own. For awkward layouts and scanned pages, the Windows preview also has a guided setup.
Review
Look over the chart it found and fix any thread color it got wrong.
Track
Find a thread or symbol, mark what you've stitched and flag the squares where you've parked a thread.
Stash
Keep a list of the floss you own and check it against what a project needs. The Windows preview also keeps a shelf of the patterns you own.
While the app is a preview, keep backups and check each imported chart against the original pattern.
Questions
Do the browser tools cost anything?
No. The designer, the stitch tracker, printing, the fabric calculator and the OXS checker are free, and none of them needs an account. Printed pages carry a light diagonal StitchenApp watermark. For a PDF, pick the PDF option in your browser's print dialog.
Does the designer upload my chart or photo?
No. Opening an OXS file and turning a picture into a chart both happen on your device. Your projects are saved in this browser.
Where are my projects saved, and could I lose them?
In this browser, on this device. Clearing your browsing data can delete them. Projects made in a private window are gone when you close it, and another browser won't see yours. Safari can delete a site's saved data after seven days of Safari use without a visit to that site. To keep your own copy, download a backup of all your projects from the designer.
Can I open PDF patterns I bought?
Not in the designer. It opens OXS files and project backups, and it can turn a picture into a new chart, but it can't read the symbols on a PDF or on a photo of a chart. The app preview can import PDF and image patterns. Pattern layouts vary a lot, so check the chart and threads it finds against the original.
Which file formats does Stitchen use?
The designer opens and downloads OXS (Open Cross Stitch) files, which other cross-stitch programs can read. It also makes project backups. The app preview imports PDF and image patterns as well. To look over an OXS file before you open it, use the OXS checker.
Can I use patterns someone else designed?
Use patterns you own or have permission to use, and follow the terms that come with them. Opening a pattern in Stitchen doesn't give you the right to share or sell it.
What data does this website use?
The site has no advertising scripts, tracking pixels or analytics cookies. The designer keeps your projects, layers and progress in your browser's storage on this device. Pictures you convert are processed on your device. A copy of the converted picture stays with its project, so it goes into any OXS file or backup you download. The hosting service sees ordinary connection details, such as your IP address, when it sends you a page. If you leave your email address for release news, it goes to Stitchen's signup service. If you create an account in the app preview, your email address, password and any display name go to Stitchen's account service. You don't need an account, or to leave your email address, to use the app or any of the tools.
What's coming
The app is still a preview. Cloud sync is planned, and it will be optional. Versions for Android, iOS and Mac are planned too. App pricing hasn't been decided.
Leave your email to hear when the first beta opens. We'll use it only for that. Read about your data.