Cross stitch chart maker: proper symbol charts, backstitch, and PDF export
If you have stitched from magazine or kit charts, you know what a good chart feels like: readable symbols, numbered rows, sensible page breaks, a legend you can trust. This page covers what a chart maker needs to get right, and how StitchCraft handles each part on iPhone and iPad.
Chart or pattern? A quick word on terminology
Stitchers use both words, usually interchangeably. Strictly speaking, the chart is the symbol grid itself, and the pattern is the complete package: chart, legend, thread list, and fabric information. Experienced stitchers tend to say chart, which is why this guide does too. Everything here applies equally if you searched for a pattern maker; the StitchCraft homepage covers the same app from that angle.
Symbols are what make a chart stitchable
Color-only grids look attractive on screen but fail at the moment it matters: two mid-tone browns side by side under warm evening light. Symbols remove the ambiguity, and they keep the chart usable when printed in black and white.
StitchCraft assigns a distinct symbol to every DMC color in the pattern automatically, and lets you work in three views:
- Color view for an impression of the finished piece.
- Symbol view for unambiguous stitching, like a printed chart.
- Combined view with symbols drawn over the colors, the best of both.
Sections and numbering for large charts
A 200 × 200 chart has 40,000 squares; nobody navigates that as one page. Printed charts solve this with numbered sections, and a digital chart maker should do the same. StitchCraft splits large patterns into sections (A1, A2, B1, and so on) that you open, stitch, and complete one at a time, with row and column numbers on every edge. Progress tracking is built into the same view: tap stitches to mark them done, and the app keeps a running count and percentage for the section and the whole piece.
Backstitch belongs on the chart
Outlines, lettering, whiskers, stems: backstitch carries the fine detail of a design, and it has to be printed in exactly the right place on the grid. In StitchCraft you draw backstitch lines directly in the editor, on top of the crossed stitches, and they carry through to the exported chart.
Custom palettes: chart with the threads you own
Experienced stitchers rarely start from zero; they have a stash. StitchCraft lets you build custom palettes from any combination of its 477 DMC colors, 441 Stranded Cotton and 36 Light Effects, and then design or generate charts restricted to that palette. Rename, duplicate, and reuse palettes across projects. One tap swaps every occurrence of one color for another if you change your mind mid-design.
The PDF export: a chart you could put in a kit
StitchCraft's print-ready PDF contains what a commercial chart would:
- Full-color pattern preview and grid statistics.
- Section-by-section grid pages with symbols and row numbers.
- A color legend with DMC codes, stitch counts, and swatch previews.
- A shopping list with skein quantities and estimated cost.
- Fabric size recommendations for your chosen count, from 11ct to 28ct, in centimeters and inches.
Share it via AirDrop, email, or print, or save it to Files. Because symbols are assigned to every color, the chart prints perfectly in monochrome.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a cross stitch chart and a pattern?
In practice the words are used interchangeably. Strictly, the chart is the grid itself, where each square carries a symbol or color for one stitch, while the pattern is the complete document: chart, color legend, thread list, and fabric information.
Why do charts use symbols instead of just colors?
Symbols stay unambiguous where similar shades are hard to tell apart, and they survive black-and-white printing. StitchCraft assigns a distinct symbol to every thread color automatically and lets you view color, symbols, or both combined.
Can a chart maker handle backstitch?
It should. Backstitch outlines are drawn as lines on top of the stitch grid and must be printed on the chart in the right position. In StitchCraft you draw backstitch lines directly in the editor and they are included in the PDF export.
How are large charts kept readable?
By splitting them into sections with row and column numbers, the way printed magazine charts do. StitchCraft splits patterns up to 200 × 200 stitches into navigable sections, on screen and as section-by-section pages in the exported PDF.
Can I restrict a chart to threads from my own stash?
Yes. Build custom palettes from any of the 477 DMC colors and generate or design charts that only use those threads. Palettes can be renamed, duplicated, and reused across projects.