What Is Blackwork Cross Stitch?
Blackwork cross stitch uses counted linework, geometric fills, borders and backstitch-style detail. Learn how it works and how to design blackwork-style charts.
The free cross stitch pattern maker
Turn photos into stitchable patterns, generate text designs, and create QR codes - all with automatic DMC thread matching and confetti reduction. No app to download.
Works on iPad, Android, and desktop - in your browser
Join hundreds of other cross stitchers - free to try, no account required. Converting a photo? See the photo to cross stitch guide.
13600+
Patterns created
1,760+
Thread colours
6
Free creative tools
Any device
iPad, phone, desktop
Same photo. Same settings. Better result.
Better colours. Fewer confetti stitches.
Drag the slider to compare. Both patterns use 100 stitches wide with 20 colours.
Other tools
Xstitchify
True-to-life colour matching
Our algorithm matches DMC thread colours to your image using perceptual colour science, not simple RGB. The result looks like your photo, not a washed-out version of it.
Smart confetti reduction
Confetti stitches - isolated single stitches scattered across your pattern - make projects slow and frustrating. Our converter groups colours intelligently so your pattern is cleaner and faster to stitch. Learn more
Tired of gridding photos by hand?
Convert any photo to a cross stitch pattern
Upload an image and get a stitchable chart in seconds - with DMC thread colours automatically matched, a symbol chart, and a full supply list. Our pattern maker reduces confetti stitches so your pattern is cleaner and easier to stitch.
- ✓ Automatic DMC colour matching
- ✓ Confetti reduction for cleaner patterns
- ✓ Built-in editor with drawing tools and stamps
- ✓ Backstitch, French knots, and half stitches for detailed designs
- ✓ Pattern Keeper compatible PDF
Not stitchable
Others: just a picture
Stitchable
Xstitchify: a real chart
New
AI Cross Stitch Pattern Generator
Turn any idea into a stitchable cross stitch chart
Describe anything - your pet as a watercolour, your gran's cottage, a robin on a snowy branch - and get a real chart with DMC, Anchor, Madeira or Cosmo codes. Most AI cross stitch tools give you a picture that looks like a pattern. We give you the chart underneath it, with confetti reduction, a symbol key, and a full editor to tweak every stitch before you download.
- ✓ Prompt to stitchable chart - not just a cross-stitch-styled image
- ✓ Real DMC, Anchor, Madeira and Cosmo thread codes
- ✓ Full editor to change any stitch before you export
Struggling to chart letters by hand?
Generate text and lettering patterns instantly
Type any name, quote, or phrase and get a cross stitch pattern instantly. Choose from multiple fonts including calligraphy, serif, and block styles. Add decorative borders and pick from colour palettes - perfect for wedding gifts, baby names, and samplers.
- ✓ Multiple cross stitch fonts and styles
- ✓ Decorative borders and frames
- ✓ Custom colour palettes
Want a unique cross stitch gift that does something?
Stitch a scannable QR code
Turn any URL, WiFi password, or text message into a cross stitch QR code that actually scans. The only cross stitch pattern maker with a dedicated QR code generator - great for wedding invitations, business cards, or a gift that links to a special message.
Try QR Generator
Have your own design in mind?
Design patterns from scratch
Start with a blank canvas and draw pixel by pixel. Use symmetry mode to create mandalas, flowers, and decorative motifs with perfect mirroring. Choose from preset sizes for bookmarks, coasters, or go fully custom.
- ✓ Layers to organise outlines, fills, and details separately
- ✓ Sketch and pressure brush for smooth freehand drawing
- ✓ Selection and move tools to rearrange your design
- ✓ Confetti brush for natural-looking scattered stitch textures
New
Cross Stitch Pattern Tracker
Track your stitching progress across any device
Mark stitches off as you sew them and watch the chart fill with colour. Per-thread progress bars show exactly how far along each colour is, and a colour-highlight tool helps you find where to stitch next. Your progress syncs across iPad, iPhone, Android, PC, and desktop - start on one device, pick up on another. No separate app to download.
- ✓ Works on iPad, iPhone, Android, PC, Mac - any device with a browser
- ✓ Switch between editing and tracking at any time
- ✓ Import OXS, Pattern Maker .xsd and PCStitch 7/8 .pat patterns from other tools and track them here
- ✓ Per-thread progress and overall completion percentage
pattern.xsd
Imported from Pattern Maker
342 confetti stitches found
After cleanup: 14 confetti stitches
New
Import and clean up patterns
Tired of cross stitch confetti? Import your pattern and clean it up
Confetti stitches - those isolated single stitches scattered across your pattern - make projects painfully slow. Import OXS files from Pattern Maker, MacStitch, WinStitch, or KXStitch, Pattern Maker .xsd files, or PCStitch 7/8 .pat files, and use our confetti cleanup brush to clean up the messy areas while keeping the detail that matters - like eye highlights and fine edges that make a pattern look real.
- ✓ Import OXS, Pattern Maker .xsd and PCStitch 7/8 .pat files
- ✓ Confetti cleanup brush targets messy areas while preserving important detail
- ✓ Layers, backstitch, French knots, half and quarter stitches
- ✓ Export back to OXS to continue in your preferred app
Ready to start stitching?
Free to use, no account required. Upload a photo or type some text and have a pattern in under a minute.
Start CreatingSelling patterns on Etsy? See plans for pattern sellers
Not sure how much fabric or thread you need?
Free calculators and colour charts
From the Blog
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How to Design a Cross Stitch Mandala
Learn how to plan a cross stitch mandala pattern with symmetry, motifs, DMC colours, fabric sizing and a stitchable counted chart.
Can ChatGPT Make a Cross Stitch Pattern? An Honest Answer
ChatGPT can produce a cross-stitch-styled cat image and confidently list DMC codes, but it cannot generate a stitchable chart. A real AI cat cross stitch pattern example, what is wrong with it, and the workflow that actually works.