Converting Photos to Cross Stitch

One of the questions I commonly hear from crafters, whether it’s related to cross stitch, knitting or crochet, is wondering how best to convert a photo or other image (like a logo) into a pattern that they can stitch.

I don’t have a very good answer because I haven’t done a lot of this kind of work, and the free online converters I’ve used have not been that great, meaning that I had to redraw my chart even when I was using a relatively simple design.

Crewel Ghoul decided to put a few pattern generators to the test and show off her results in a blog post. She wanted to look specifically at online or app pattern makers rather than programs you have to download and focused on Stitch Fiddle, Stitchly and Floss Cross.

She designed a floral image (which you can see above) and had each generator create a design of the same size and with the same maximum number of colors. Each one is rated on a scale of 1 to 3 for accuracy of color and design, ease of use and level of customization allowed, for a possible score of 12.

You’ll have to head over there to see all her designs and the rankings of the generators, but I will tell you that they all seemed to do pretty well and if you don’t need to make a lot of patterns or have a high level of customization (say you’re only making a pattern from a photo for personal use and don’t expect to need to do so regularly) you can develop a fine pattern with just free tools or the free version of tools.

That said, the more complex the pattern you’re trying to make in terms of size, number of colors, shadows, etc., the harder it is for any program to replicate. But it’s worth taking a look at these tools to see what they can do for you.

Head over to Crewel Ghoul to read the full review and take a look at the different versions of her pattern the generators made.

[Photo: Crewel Ghoul]

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The Best Cross Stitch Pattern Generators

Cross Stitch Foxy has a huge selection of cross stitch patterns perfect for gifts or using in your own home decor. As of this writing there are more than 900 patterns listed, so there’s no way I can cover them all, but let’s take a quick peek at some of the options.

As with many cross stitch designers, Cross Stitch Foxy has a lot of holiday themed patterns, including Christmas, Halloween and Easter and St. Patrick’s Day. There are patriotic American patterns, feminist patterns and so much more.

Since we’re heading into the Christmas season as I write this, I thought I’d highlight one of the more than 100 Christmas listings in the shop. These Christmas mugs would be cute to have hanging in your kitchen or anywhere else all winter long.

The full pattern is 86 by 101 stitches, which comes out to 6.1 by 7.2 inches, or 5.5 by 18 cm, when stitched on 14 count fabric. It calls for 19 colors. Of course you could also stitch a single mug if you’d rather, or put them into individual frames.

One thing that is fun about Cross Stitch Foxy’s projects is that the intention is that to some extent you can use what you have to make the projects. None of the projects include single stitches of a color, and colors can be replaced with the colors you have or use blends made up of colors you already have, making the projects more cost effective and environmentally friendly. Of course for holiday patterns you’ll want some holiday colors, but there’s wiggle room to use the threads you already own, which is nice.

In addition to the categories I already mentioned, there are many other patterns, including a wide selection of seasonal gnomes, patterns with cats and dogs, food and drink patterns and a nice collection of flowers and plants, just to name a few. There’s probably something for everyone in this store, so go check it out at Cross Stitch Foxy on Etsy.

[Photo: Cross Stitch Foxy]

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