Designing Cross Stitch on a Computer: Why It Changed Everything

How I Got Started

If you haven't tried designing cross stitch or blackwork on a computer yet, you're in for a treat.

I started designing the old-fashioned way — with graph paper, coloured pencils, and more eraser crumbs than I care to admit. Every motif drawn by hand. Every border counted and recounted. I remember the frustration of drawing little trees down one side of a sampler and then finding they didn't match up at the top — I should have left four squares between each one, not three.

And don't get me started on gluing slips of paper together to position text, or holding a mirror in one hand while trying to draw a mirror image of a motif with the other. It worked, but it was slow — and there were moments when the kitchen table looked like a craft shop had exploded.

Where it all began — graph paper and coloured pencils

The move to computer designing — no going back!

Then I discovered charting software. And honestly? I haven't touched a piece of graph paper or a glue stick since.

I'm not an advocate of letting the computer do all the work — scanning in a photo and asking the software to convert it rarely gives you something you'd actually want to stitch. The results tend to be enormous, use far too many colours, and you'd need a whole room just to store your threads.

But as a design tool? It's wonderful. Here's why.

Whether you're planning a cross stitch sampler, a blackwork panel, or anything in between — these five features alone make computer designing worth trying.

A colourful blackwork design — created entirely on screen

Ready to Try Computer Designing?

Perhaps you want to start your own needlework business, or maybe you'd simply like to adapt some of the patterns you've bought. Either way, if you already have a computer, you have everything you need to begin.

There are several cross stitch and embroidery design programs available — some free, some paid. Popular options include MacStitch (for Mac) and WinStitch (for Windows), but there are others too. What matters most is finding one that suits the way you like to work.

Caught the designing bug? My ebook Stitch Your Own Business walks you through every step from your first chart to building a pattern business — with all the hard-won lessons I picked up along the way.

Over the years, visitors to this page have shared their design stories, questions, and tips. Click through to read the full discussions — you might find the answer to something you've been wondering about too.

My ebook Stitch Your Own Business covers every step — from your first chart to pricing, marketing, and building a website that brings customers to you.

It's 121 pages of practical, no-fluff guidance from someone who's been through it all — the wins and the wobbles.

Ready to Design Something Beautiful?

Whether you start with a pencil and graph paper or dive straight into software, the important thing is to begin. Your first design doesn't need to be perfect — mine certainly wasn't.