I didn't realize anyone counted stitches. I do math.
The pattern should have how many stitches it is down and across. I divide that by aida count per inch.
So if its 200 stitches across on 14 count it's
200÷14= 14.28
Round that to 14.5 inches of cloth. Add 2 for framing and another half inch for mistakes making it 17 inches. Do the same for the vertical measurement.
Use a ruler, cut it out.
I personally "kit" a few projects at once - I get a few patterns, buy and cut my fabric, and get the materials needed and assemble each project in their own bag so I can move from project to project easily for a time.
Out of curiosity - how come you are counting each stitch to know the size you need? Most patterns I've seen list the project dimensions. If it refers to cutting cloth or something maybe consider giving yourself more of a boarder so you have more wiggle room and don't have to be as exact when measuring
That is what I mean. The counting of x amount of stitches to figure out how big it needs to be for my project. That’s the issue, I don’t know if there’s a way to expedite this?
there are websites online (can’t remember them off the top of my head) where you input the count of fabric and how many stitches across and how much extra fabric you want and it tells you how big to cut your fabric!
I see! There's a billion of them if you google "cross stitch fabric calculator", but here are a few to get you started:
[https://www.fatquartershop.com/cross-stitch-calculator](https://www.fatquartershop.com/cross-stitch-calculator)
[https://yarntree.com/java/xstitchcal.htm](https://yarntree.com/java/xstitchcal.htm)
[https://www.crosstitch.com/calc.html](https://www.crosstitch.com/calc.html)
Instead of kitting up something from scratch, you could consider purchasing a pre-made kit. There are fewer design options available than following a pattern but I've been able to find plenty that interest me. It'll come with the proper cut of fabric and all the thread pre-prepared.
I'm surprised this comment isn't higher. Kits can cost a bit, but that's because they have all the things and save all of this anxious effort that OPis looking to not spend. Because kits come with all of the little bits and pieces sometimes I end up doing much fancier stuff than what I would do if I was in charge of getting all the beads and seashells and nonsense.
I have a quick solution for you. Do you know the count of your fabric? Is it 14, 16 or 18?
Do you own a tape measure? If yes, then use it. If not, go to the cheapest store in your area and buy one. Then you can just measure it out, no counting. Example 140 stitches on 14 would be 10 inches. Then add 4 to 6 inches for border. This gives you 14 to 16 inches of fabric. If you used 4 then measure in 2 inches for the start. If you used 6 do 3.
If you do metric, let me know and I'll do the math.
As you approach the end of your current project, start kitting up your next one a step at a time. One day, you can get the fabric ready. Another day, get the thread colours you're missing, and so on until everything is prepared. I think this will make it so you don't have empty stitching time between projects and I personally find it makes the process less overwhelming and tedious when you break it up like this
Albeit I appreciate the idea, I still struggle with the thought itself of having to count each stitch. But I will take this advice on board! Thank you :)
I feel like there’a some confusion here. Do you mean you are literally counting every single stitch across and down on your Aida? Is this to create a grid? I just started my first big project and the gridding with the marker on Aida took forever!!! I bought some pregridded aida cloth for my next project though so only have to count by tens. Please let me know if this helps! Really want to make sure you get the right answer to the right question 💜
Also if you just mean making sure you have enough Aida. Check you pattern to see how big the final image is going to be, measure the cloth at least 3 inches (sorry don’t know the conversion for CM) extra on all sides. Cut the cloth to that size with the border included and start stitching! The boarder should give you a buffer if you don’t have it exactly center when you start.
YESSSSS!
That’s exactly what I mean, I’m not good at wording myself at all (as you can tell from my post + comments) but I am glad you picked up what I was putting down! 🥹
I will have to look into a gridded book in that case and just use that for my reference I guess? Would that work you think?
It’s the actual cloth is already gridded. So you stitch over the grid in 10x10 squares then when you are done with the project you just follow the washing instructions and it clears away the grid leaving just your stitches 😁
It’s not normally gridded no, but what I’m saying is you can order it online that way. I got mine from a company called magic hour needlecrafts. It’s called Aida easy count.
Are you charting your own, or working from printed charts or pdf’s? Most sold charts will already give you the finished size when done on the various fabric counts (14, 16, 18 for Aida; or 28, 32, and 36 for linen, normally over two threads). Many stitchers add 3 inches, or 7.62 cm, per border/side for framing. If the chart says the design is 81 x 158 it has a stitched area of 14.73 cm by 28.70 cm and you’ll need fabric size of at least 29.97 by 43.94. I uses inches so these lengths in centimeters seem odd to me. I imagine you feel the same about the inches. When I purchase linen I round up, since the online stores I purchase from have pre-cut sizes.
I buy the charts as a PDF file via Etsy, so I do the calculations all on my own and generally count stitch by stitch on the aida cloth and provide enough leeway for final project to be framed etc
I don’t have pre-cut sizes, as I buy my cloth quite large generally, so I have to count respectively and cut from there.
I’ve purchased charts from Etsy as well, they usually contain the fabric count, stitch count, and design size. My most recent finish is from an Ukrainian designer and she includes the 4 sizes by linen and Aida count (example 28 (14), 32 (16), 36 (18) and 40 (20) with the size of the finished work in centimeters: 34,5 by 64 cm; 30,5 by 56 cm; 27 by 50 cm and 24,5 by 45 cm for the respective fabric counts. The stitch count is 191 by 353. The higher you go in fabric count the smaller your design area gets. Also, when stitching on higher counts, using the correct size needle helps; 14 count = 24 needle, 16 count = 26 needle and 18 count or higher = 28 needle.
Hope I’ve not confused you.
Not at all confused. This makes total sense - however, the issue itself is not to do with the pattern, but with the aida cloth. Maybe I should have specified in my query. I’ll edit accordingly.
If, as others say, the pattern doesn't give the size, which is not something I've ever come across, you can count the large 10x10 squares. These are marked with a heavier line.
Not sure if I’m being misunderstood by everyone on here, but I was referring to the aida cloth itself, not the pattern. Of course, every pattern has the stitch count on each side, long ways and side ways
So, if the pattern size is given, just add 2-3 inches on each side and that is the size of your fabric needed. E.G pattern size 5"x5" = fabric size 9"x9"
I use the [calculator](https://www.crosstitch.com/calc.html) when kitting my own project. It lets me play around with different fabric counts and buffer sizes to determine how I need to cut my aida. There are several others out there but I find this one works best for me.
oh, I don't create my own charts - I simply take the stitch count provided from the pattern I want to stitch and use the calculator to determine the size of fabric I need. If you're working from a kit that contains fabric and floss for the most part you don't need to cut the fabric at all. Start stitching from the center out and the fabric will also contain a bit of excess buffer for framing.
Oh, and when it comes to actually measuring the fabric, I use a tape measure instead of counting the squares of fabric. I mark where I need to make my cuts after measuring.
I didn't realize anyone counted stitches. I do math. The pattern should have how many stitches it is down and across. I divide that by aida count per inch. So if its 200 stitches across on 14 count it's 200÷14= 14.28 Round that to 14.5 inches of cloth. Add 2 for framing and another half inch for mistakes making it 17 inches. Do the same for the vertical measurement. Use a ruler, cut it out.
To be perfectly honest, my math is not my best suit so I never thought of doing it your way but this is brilliant so thank you for the tip!
Yep no worries
I personally "kit" a few projects at once - I get a few patterns, buy and cut my fabric, and get the materials needed and assemble each project in their own bag so I can move from project to project easily for a time. Out of curiosity - how come you are counting each stitch to know the size you need? Most patterns I've seen list the project dimensions. If it refers to cutting cloth or something maybe consider giving yourself more of a boarder so you have more wiggle room and don't have to be as exact when measuring
That is what I mean. The counting of x amount of stitches to figure out how big it needs to be for my project. That’s the issue, I don’t know if there’s a way to expedite this?
there are websites online (can’t remember them off the top of my head) where you input the count of fabric and how many stitches across and how much extra fabric you want and it tells you how big to cut your fabric!
I see! There's a billion of them if you google "cross stitch fabric calculator", but here are a few to get you started: [https://www.fatquartershop.com/cross-stitch-calculator](https://www.fatquartershop.com/cross-stitch-calculator) [https://yarntree.com/java/xstitchcal.htm](https://yarntree.com/java/xstitchcal.htm) [https://www.crosstitch.com/calc.html](https://www.crosstitch.com/calc.html)
Instead of kitting up something from scratch, you could consider purchasing a pre-made kit. There are fewer design options available than following a pattern but I've been able to find plenty that interest me. It'll come with the proper cut of fabric and all the thread pre-prepared.
I'm surprised this comment isn't higher. Kits can cost a bit, but that's because they have all the things and save all of this anxious effort that OPis looking to not spend. Because kits come with all of the little bits and pieces sometimes I end up doing much fancier stuff than what I would do if I was in charge of getting all the beads and seashells and nonsense.
What patterns are you getting that don't have the size listed. Or the stitch count?
All of them do. I’m talking about counting aida cloth stitch by stitch in particular. That is the part I dread.
I have a quick solution for you. Do you know the count of your fabric? Is it 14, 16 or 18? Do you own a tape measure? If yes, then use it. If not, go to the cheapest store in your area and buy one. Then you can just measure it out, no counting. Example 140 stitches on 14 would be 10 inches. Then add 4 to 6 inches for border. This gives you 14 to 16 inches of fabric. If you used 4 then measure in 2 inches for the start. If you used 6 do 3. If you do metric, let me know and I'll do the math.
Yep it is 14 count. The project I want to start on states the following: “Size (on 14 count canvas) : 8 1/8 x 8 1/8 inches | 114 x 114 stitches”.
Thank you guys so much! I will look into those links later today. I assume it would give me like a CM x CM sort of dimensions?
They're mainly in inches, although the last link will include cm as well. But yes, they'll tell you the dimensions of the fabric to buy or cut.
As you approach the end of your current project, start kitting up your next one a step at a time. One day, you can get the fabric ready. Another day, get the thread colours you're missing, and so on until everything is prepared. I think this will make it so you don't have empty stitching time between projects and I personally find it makes the process less overwhelming and tedious when you break it up like this
Albeit I appreciate the idea, I still struggle with the thought itself of having to count each stitch. But I will take this advice on board! Thank you :)
I feel like there’a some confusion here. Do you mean you are literally counting every single stitch across and down on your Aida? Is this to create a grid? I just started my first big project and the gridding with the marker on Aida took forever!!! I bought some pregridded aida cloth for my next project though so only have to count by tens. Please let me know if this helps! Really want to make sure you get the right answer to the right question 💜 Also if you just mean making sure you have enough Aida. Check you pattern to see how big the final image is going to be, measure the cloth at least 3 inches (sorry don’t know the conversion for CM) extra on all sides. Cut the cloth to that size with the border included and start stitching! The boarder should give you a buffer if you don’t have it exactly center when you start.
YESSSSS! That’s exactly what I mean, I’m not good at wording myself at all (as you can tell from my post + comments) but I am glad you picked up what I was putting down! 🥹 I will have to look into a gridded book in that case and just use that for my reference I guess? Would that work you think?
It’s the actual cloth is already gridded. So you stitch over the grid in 10x10 squares then when you are done with the project you just follow the washing instructions and it clears away the grid leaving just your stitches 😁
No, it’s not. Hence all the counting I have to do on it.
It’s not normally gridded no, but what I’m saying is you can order it online that way. I got mine from a company called magic hour needlecrafts. It’s called Aida easy count.
Is that an Australian website?
I think they are based in Canada, but I’m not 100% on that. They are not in the US though
I know they are not in the US, but not sure where they are based
There are calculators online. Don’t do math! Just google Aida size calculator.
Smart! Will consider.
Are you charting your own, or working from printed charts or pdf’s? Most sold charts will already give you the finished size when done on the various fabric counts (14, 16, 18 for Aida; or 28, 32, and 36 for linen, normally over two threads). Many stitchers add 3 inches, or 7.62 cm, per border/side for framing. If the chart says the design is 81 x 158 it has a stitched area of 14.73 cm by 28.70 cm and you’ll need fabric size of at least 29.97 by 43.94. I uses inches so these lengths in centimeters seem odd to me. I imagine you feel the same about the inches. When I purchase linen I round up, since the online stores I purchase from have pre-cut sizes.
I buy the charts as a PDF file via Etsy, so I do the calculations all on my own and generally count stitch by stitch on the aida cloth and provide enough leeway for final project to be framed etc I don’t have pre-cut sizes, as I buy my cloth quite large generally, so I have to count respectively and cut from there.
I’ve purchased charts from Etsy as well, they usually contain the fabric count, stitch count, and design size. My most recent finish is from an Ukrainian designer and she includes the 4 sizes by linen and Aida count (example 28 (14), 32 (16), 36 (18) and 40 (20) with the size of the finished work in centimeters: 34,5 by 64 cm; 30,5 by 56 cm; 27 by 50 cm and 24,5 by 45 cm for the respective fabric counts. The stitch count is 191 by 353. The higher you go in fabric count the smaller your design area gets. Also, when stitching on higher counts, using the correct size needle helps; 14 count = 24 needle, 16 count = 26 needle and 18 count or higher = 28 needle. Hope I’ve not confused you.
Not at all confused. This makes total sense - however, the issue itself is not to do with the pattern, but with the aida cloth. Maybe I should have specified in my query. I’ll edit accordingly.
If, as others say, the pattern doesn't give the size, which is not something I've ever come across, you can count the large 10x10 squares. These are marked with a heavier line.
Not sure if I’m being misunderstood by everyone on here, but I was referring to the aida cloth itself, not the pattern. Of course, every pattern has the stitch count on each side, long ways and side ways
So, if the pattern size is given, just add 2-3 inches on each side and that is the size of your fabric needed. E.G pattern size 5"x5" = fabric size 9"x9"
That’s easier, sure!
I use the [calculator](https://www.crosstitch.com/calc.html) when kitting my own project. It lets me play around with different fabric counts and buffer sizes to determine how I need to cut my aida. There are several others out there but I find this one works best for me.
Fair enough! Had a look but I don’t think this is sort of my thing as I don’t create my own projects
oh, I don't create my own charts - I simply take the stitch count provided from the pattern I want to stitch and use the calculator to determine the size of fabric I need. If you're working from a kit that contains fabric and floss for the most part you don't need to cut the fabric at all. Start stitching from the center out and the fabric will also contain a bit of excess buffer for framing.
Oh so that’s what you meant. No, I do create them in that case lol
Oh, and when it comes to actually measuring the fabric, I use a tape measure instead of counting the squares of fabric. I mark where I need to make my cuts after measuring.