How to read a cross stitch pattern

A cross stitch chart looks like a spreadsheet of symbols at first. Once you know four things — squares, grid lines, the centre and the key — you can stitch almost any pattern.

Written by the developer of Gingham · Published 13 September 2026

Try it on your photo Gingham shows the whole pattern before you pay anything.

1. One square = one stitch

The chart is a map of your fabric. Each square on the chart matches one square of Aida, or two threads by two on evenweave, and holds one full cross stitch. A chart 84 squares wide makes a design 84 stitches wide. How big that is in inches depends on your fabric; see Aida count and finished size.

A square with no symbol or colour isn’t stitched: the fabric shows through there.

2. Symbols, colours, or both

Charts come in three styles:

• Symbol charts use a black symbol per colour. They’re easiest to read when printed and when two colours are similar.
• Colour charts fill each square with the thread colour. They give a quick feel for the picture, but similar shades are hard to tell apart.
• Colour with symbols combines both, and many stitchers prefer it.

3. The key

The key (or legend) lists every colour used. For each one you’ll usually see:

• the symbol used on the chart,
• the floss number, for example DMC 310 (black) or DMC 3865 (winter white), and often the colour’s name,
• sometimes the number of stitches and an estimate of skeins to buy.

Before you start, sort your threads in the key’s order and label each one with its symbol. It saves a lot of squinting later.

4. The grid lines

Most charts draw a heavier line every 10 squares. They exist so you can count in tens instead of ones: “this block of colour starts three squares right of the bold line” is far easier than counting 43 squares from the edge. Many stitchers mirror this on the fabric with a removable gridding thread or a water-soluble marker every 10 squares.

5. Finding the centre and where to start

1. Find the chart’s centre. Look for the arrows or triangles on the edges and follow them in until they meet. If there are none, count the width and height and halve them.
2. Find the fabric’s centre. Fold it in half both ways and pinch the crease, or tack two lines of contrasting thread through the middle.
3. Start near the centre with a colour that has plenty of stitches there. Starting in the middle makes sure the design ends up centred on the fabric with equal margins.

Some stitchers prefer to start in the top-left corner, counting in from the fabric edge. It works, but one counting mistake at the start shifts the whole design. Beginners are better off starting at the centre.

6. Multi-page charts

Large patterns are split across several pages, usually with a few rows repeated at the edges so they overlap, and a small map showing how the pages fit together. Work one page at a time. When you cross onto the next page, line up the overlapping rows before stitching.

7. Keeping your place

• Mark as you go. Highlight stitched squares on a printed copy, or tick them off in a pattern-keeping app.
• Work in 10 × 10 blocks, following the bold grid lines.
• Count twice, stitch once whenever you move to a new area. Counting mistakes are much easier to catch before a whole block is stitched on top of them.

Other symbols you might see

• Straight lines along the grid lines are usually backstitch outlines, listed separately in the key.
• Half-filled squares or small triangles are fractional stitches: quarter and three-quarter stitches.
• Small dots or circles are often French knots or beads.

Every designer’s conventions differ slightly, so check the key or the notes page. Gingham’s charts use full stitches only, with no backstitch or fractional stitches.

Make a chart you can actually read

Gingham turns a photo into a cross stitch chart you can view in colors, symbols or both, with a key listing every DMC number, stitch count and estimated skeins. Its PDF export puts the key and chart on printable pages. Preview the whole pattern free before you pay anything.