How to Create Cross Stitch Designs from Photos and Pictures

Create a wonderful pattern based on a family photograph.

Transform one of your favorite photos or pictures into a cross stitch design using an easy, free cross-stitch image creator. The creators for cross-stich imagery help you upload a picture and then transform it into a cross stitch pattern ready for sewing. Create your own ornaments, decorations, samplers, pillows and much more. These images make wonderful gifts or keepsakes for your family.

Things You'll Need

• computer image editing program (free Photofiltre program recommended)
• printer paper

Instructions

1. Download a free cross-stich creation program. These programs are abundant, and most are free. Select a program that lets you edit the photo artistically. A program that lets you just crop and resize images won't be sufficient.

2. Upload a photo into the program following the instructions that allow you to browse your photos and select the one you want modified to cross-stitch.

3. Edit the photo the correct size for your pattern, either by pixels or inches.

4. Adjust the square or pixel size to the size you want your cross stitch squares. For example, 5 works well for small squares that create fine detail, 7 works well for larger, less detailed patterns.

5. Save your design under a new name and print it out.

Tips & Warnings

• Some "tile" artistic functions on image editing programs modify the image the same way.

• Extremely detailed photos with minimal color variations may make poor choices. Tthey may not translate well to a series of squares, for instance.

References

• Addictive Tips; Create Cross-Stitch Image Designs From Your Photos With CStitch; July 2011

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Softonic: PhotoFiltre 6.5.2