Block Cross Stitch Font
A simple, square alphabet of capitals, lowercase and numbers, built entirely from full cross stitches. It is the most used font in the Xstitchify text generator.
Block alphabet chart
Capitals, lowercase and numbers at the Small size, where each letter is 7 stitches tall. One square is one full cross stitch, with a bold line every 10 stitches. This is exactly what the text generator produces, including the gap between letters.
Swipe sideways to see the whole chart.
Small, Medium and Large
The generator has three stitch sizes. Medium and Large are the same letters with every square doubled or tripled, so the shapes stay identical and simply stitch up bigger. The generator starts at Medium.
| Size | Letter (stitches) | Gap | Height on 14-count | Height on 18-count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 5 wide × 7 tall | 1 | 0.50 in (1.3 cm) | 0.39 in (1.0 cm) |
| Medium | 10 wide × 14 tall | 2 | 1.00 in (2.5 cm) | 0.78 in (2.0 cm) |
| Large | 15 wide × 21 tall | 3 | 1.50 in (3.8 cm) | 1.17 in (3.0 cm) |
How much text fits in a frame
Planning a verse, poem or recipe? These are the characters per line (counting spaces) and the number of lines that fit on 14-count Aida, leaving a 1 in border all round. Allow about six characters for an average word and its space.
| Frame | Small | Medium | Large |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 × 7 in | 7 per line, 8 lines | 3 per line, 4 lines | 2 per line, 2 lines |
| 8 × 10 in | 14 per line, 12 lines | 7 per line, 6 lines | 4 per line, 4 lines |
| 11 × 14 in | 21 per line, 18 lines | 10 per line, 9 lines | 7 per line, 6 lines |
Where Block works best
Block is at its best when there is a lot to say. Because every letter is the same width and there are no fractional stitches, long passages such as poems, Bible verses, song lyrics and family recipes stay even and easy to count, line after line. At the Small size a single line of an 8 × 10 in frame on 14-count holds about 14 characters, so a short verse fits comfortably.
The same plainness suits names and dates on birth and wedding samplers. Next to a busy motif, a simple square letter stays readable where a script would get lost. The look is close to the plain counted alphabets used on traditional samplers, so it sits well alongside borders and motifs in that style.
Stitching Block
There is nothing to interpret: each square on the chart is one full cross. That makes Block a good first lettering project, and quick to stitch because long straight runs let you work a row of half stitches and come back along it.
Capitals and lowercase share the same height, and letters like g, j, p, q and y do not drop below the line. Lines of text therefore pack closely, with two empty rows between them at the Small size. If you want more space between lines, or larger letters for a wall hanging, change the size in the generator rather than stitching the chart twice as big by hand.
Stitch your own words in Block
Type a name, date or a whole verse into the cross stitch font generator, pick a size and thread colour, and it builds the chart for you, ready to print as a PDF or open in Pattern Keeper. Block is free for everyone.
Open Block in the generatorSimilar fonts
Choosing between styles? The cross stitch fonts guide compares them and covers sizing and cursive lettering.