Easy Cross Stitch Calculator (No Maths Required)

Don't repeat Becky's mistake!

When my daughter Becky was 15 and learning cross stitch, I forgot to tell her one crucial thing: always leave extra fabric around the design.

She only realised after she’d stitched a fair bit that the design wouldn’t fit. In tears she threw her hoop across the room and it collided with my shin bone. Ouch!

Sadly that Lavender and Lace design was never restarted. Can you blame her?

So here’s my “save your sanity” tool:

• Find out how big your design will stitch up
• Compare sizes on different fabric counts
• Work out how much fabric to cut (without doing the sums)

👉 Skip to the calculator

What you need (just 4 clicks)

1. Design stitch count (width × height)
2. Fabric count/threads per inch or cm (like 14-count Aida, 28-count evenweave, etc.)
3. Stitching over 1 or over 2 threads (you choose this in the calculator)
4. Read the results

That's it. No formulas. No panic. 

How to use the calculator

Step 1 - Enter the stitch count (width and height)

Look on your chart/pattern info for something like:

• “Design size: 115 stitches wide × 296 stitches high”

If your pattern doesn't tell you:

• Many charts are overlaid with a grid shown in darker or thicker lines (often 10 x 10 blocks) Count the blocks across and down then multiply by 10.
• Or count the squares along the top and side (slow but reliable for small designs),

Step 2 - Enter your fabric's threads per inch

Examples:

• 14-count Aida
• 16-count Aida
• 28-count evenweave
• 32-count linen

Step 3 - Choose how you're stitching: Over 1 or over 2

This is the bit that makes life easier:

• Over 1 = one stitch goes over one fabric thread/square (common on Aida)
• Over 2 = one stitch goes over two fabric threads (common on linen/evenweave)

If you using 28 threads per inch fabric over 2 threads, choose:

• Select the inches radio button
• Enter: 28
• Pick: Over 2

...and the calculator will do the calculations.

Step 4 - Read the results

You will see two new boxes which will give you the design size in both inches and cm. 

Quick tip if you stitch on evenweave/linen

If you stitch over 2 threads, your “effective” stitches per inch is half.

So you can treat these as equivalent:

• 28-count over 2 → 14-count
• 32-count over 2 → 16-count
• 36-count over 2 → 18-count

This is the one that catches people out, so it's worth double-checking before you cut the fabric. 

A worked example (so you can sanity-check yours)

Let's use my art deco lady, Pearl, which is 115 x 296 stitches.

• On 14-count Aida the finished size is 8.2 in × 21.1 in (20.8 × 53.7 cm). 
• Switch to 18-count, and it comes out smaller - same design, just fabric with a more threads per inch.

If your result is wildly different from what you expected, it usually means: 

• the stitch count was read wrong (easy to do) or
• the fabric count entered doesn't match how you're stitching (especially "over 2").

IMPORTANT: before you cut your fabric!

The calculator shows the size of the stitched area only.

You still need extra fabric around it for finishing.

Here are safe, beginner-friendly margins:

• Cards / small gifts: add at least 1 inch / 2.5cm on each side. 
• Framed pieces: add at least 3 inches / 7.5 cm on each side (mounting + wraparound + framing)

If you're between sizes, go bigger. Nobody has ever complained about having "too much spare fabric"... but plenty, like Becky, have cried over too little!

Common Questions (quick answers)

“Why is my finished size slightly different?”

Normal reasons: stitch tension, washing, framing stretch, and whether you’ve rounded up/down when cutting fabric.

“I want it to fit a specific frame — can this help?”

Yes. Use the calculator to test fabric counts until the stitched size is comfortably smaller than your frame opening after allowing for margins/finishing.

Keep stitching (without the hoop-flinging)

Save this page somewhere you’ll actually find it again (not in the 4,000-link bookmark graveyard). And if you want to go deeper on fabric choices, these will help next:

• Choosing embroidery fabric for counted thread work
• Cross stitch on linen/evenweave
• What is Aida cloth?