FREE PRINTABLE

Free Printable Cross Stitch Graph Paper

Download blank grid paper in 10, 11, 14, 16, and 18 count, print as many sheets as you like, and design your own counted cross stitch patterns.

Download the Grids How to Print It Design Your Own

When I first started creating my own cross stitch patterns, long before I moved on to a computer design program, I worked them out on transparent graph paper. If you like to design by hand, a sheet of the right grid may be all you need too. The only trouble is, shop-bought cross stitch grids can be pricey, and ordinary stationery graph paper is usually 10 squares to the inch, which is rarely the count you want.

So I have made cross stitch graph paper you can print at home, for free, in the counts stitchers actually use. Make a mistake or change your mind halfway through a design? Simply print another sheet, as many times as you need.

If you want a pattern to fit a particular space when it is stitched, the count matters. Draw on a 10 count grid and your design comes out larger than the finished piece. Match the grid to your fabric, say 14 squares to the inch for 14 count Aida, and the awkward sums disappear.

GET THE COUNT RIGHT

How to Print Your Graph Paper Accurately

The count is only correct if you print without scaling. A few seconds here saves a design that comes out the wrong size.

  • Print at 100%: In your print dialog, set scale to 100% (sometimes shown as "Actual size"). Turn off "Fit to page" or "Shrink to fit".
  • Check the count: Lay a ruler on the printed sheet. One inch should hold exactly the number of squares named on the grid (14 squares on the 14 count sheet, and so on).
  • Choose your paper: Plain white is fine for most designing. Tracing paper lets you lay the grid over a drawing and square it up. A coloured sheet can mimic the fabric you plan to stitch on.
PUT IT TO WORK

Design Your Own Cross Stitch Patterns

Graph paper is the simplest way to start charting. Sketch your shape, square it up onto the grid, and mark each stitch in a square. When you are ready to go further, these guides will help:

✦ ✦ ✦
HAPPY DESIGNING

Print, Sketch, Stitch

Keep a few sheets of cross stitch graph paper by your chair, and you will never lose a design idea again. Print as many as you need, in whatever count suits your fabric.

Learn to Cross Stitch

New to counted thread? My step-by-step beginner guide covers reading a chart and working the stitch.

Start the Tutorial

Free Patterns to Stitch

Would you rather stitch than design? Help yourself to my free printable cross stitch patterns.

Browse Free Patterns

Stitchin' Times Newsletter

Stay connected between projects

If you'd like occasional updates from my embroidery room, including new patterns, gentle tips, and little things I think you might enjoy, you're warmly invited to join the Stitchin' Times newsletter.