Help – xstitchr explained simply

How xstitchr works: the stitching editor, converting your own picture, PDFs, confirming rights and putting patterns online – step by step in simple words.

TOPIC 1

Getting started

In shortxstitchr is your cross-stitch place on the internet. You pick a pattern and tick it off on screen, stitch by stitch.

How it works

  1. Pick a pattern

    Under “Patterns” you find ready-made patterns. Tap one you like.

  2. Or use your own picture

    In “Studio” you turn your photo into a cross-stitch pattern.

  3. Stitch

    Press “Start pattern”. The pattern opens in the stitching editor.

  4. Create an account

    With an account everything is saved. Nothing gets lost and you can carry on on any device.

Good to know

  • You can try everything without an account. To save, you need one.

See patterns Create an account 

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TOPIC 2

Stitching in the editor

In shortThe stitching editor is your pattern on screen. Tap what you have stitched. That way you always know where you are.

How it works

  1. Tap a square

    Every square is one cross stitch. When you have stitched it, tap it. It is marked as done.

  2. Choose one colour

    Tap a colour in the thread bar at the bottom. Then only the stitches of that colour light up. The rest fades.

  3. Zoom in and out

    Pinch with two fingers or use plus and minus. The 0 key shows the whole pattern again.

  4. Done for today

    Just close it. With an account your progress is saved. Next time press “Continue stitching”.

Buttons you will see

  • Tick off (key M)

    Mark stitches as done.

  • Rectangle (key B)

    Drag a box and tick off many stitches at once.

  • Park thread (key P)

    Remembers the corner where a thread is waiting for you.

  • Backstitch (key L)

    Tap a line when you have stitched it.

  • Unpick (key F)

    Take a tick away again when you had to unpick a stitch.

  • Move (key H)

    Move the pattern around without ticking anything.

Good to know

  • The G key shows or hides the red ten-by-ten grid. The Z key hides everything except the pattern.
  • Wrong tap? The undo arrow takes back your last step.
  • In “View and settings” you can change how the pattern looks: with symbols, like real thread, as a finished picture or in black and white.

Questions

What is the daily goal?

You say how many stitches you want to do today. A bar shows how far you are. The timer counts your stitching time.

Do I need an app?

No. The editor runs in the browser, on phones, tablets and computers.

All about the stitching editor 

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TOPIC 3

Turning your own picture into a pattern

In shortYou take a photo or a picture. xstitchr turns it into a cross-stitch pattern with thread colours.

How it works

  1. Add your picture

    Go to “Studio” and then “Convert image”. Tap the big box and choose a picture.

  2. Make the picture nicer (if you like)

    With “Edit image” you can crop the picture, rotate it, make it smaller, make it brighter or take away the background.

  3. Choose size and colours

    Say how wide the pattern should be and which thread you use. More about this below under settings.

  4. Convert

    Press “Convert image to printable chart”. After a few seconds you see your pattern.

  5. Keep it or stitch it

    “Save” puts it in “My patterns”. “Start now” opens it straight away in the stitching editor. “PDF” makes a printable chart.

What “Edit image” can do

  • Crop

    Drag a frame over the picture. Only what is inside becomes the pattern.

  • Rotate

    Turns the picture left or right.

  • Resize

    Makes the picture smaller.

  • Filters

    Brighter, more contrast, stronger colours or black and white.

  • Background

    Tap the background. That area becomes see-through and is not stitched. “Tolerance” decides how many similar colours go with it.

The settings

Pattern name
This is what your pattern will be called in your list.
Thread brand
Which thread you buy, for example DMC or Anchor. Every colour in the pattern gets the matching thread number.
Target width in stitches
How many little crosses side by side. Few stitches make a small, simple picture. Many stitches make a big picture with lots of detail. 70 is a good start.
Limiting the number of colours
Off by default. Switch it on and the pattern uses at most as many colours as you say. Fewer colours means buying less thread and easier stitching.
White background as empty fabric
White or very light areas are not stitched. The fabric stays empty there.
Automatically add backstitches
Draws dark lines around the shapes, like in a colouring book. Under “Outline detail” you choose few, some or many lines, and below that the thread colour.

Good to know

  • A picture with clear shapes and a calm background works best.
  • After converting you can use “Adjust & merge colours” to combine similar colours or leave single colours out.
  • Your picture stays on your device. It is not uploaded.
  • Without an account you can convert two pictures a day. With an account as many as you like.

Questions

What does “merge” mean?

Two colours that look almost the same become one. First choose the colour that stays. Then tap the colours that should become part of it.

What happens to deselected colours?

With “Omit” the fabric stays empty there. With “Replace with similar” the pattern uses the most similar colour that is left instead.

Go to the image converter Guide: turn a photo into a pattern 

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TOPIC 4

What is the PDF?

In shortA PDF is a file you can print. On xstitchr there are two things with PDFs: printing your pattern as a PDF, and reading in a PDF pattern you bought.

1. Print your pattern as a PDF

  1. Press the PDF button

    Your pattern or project has a printer button. Press it.

  2. Look at the preview

    A print view opens. First comes a cover with all thread colours, then the whole picture in colour, then big black-and-white parts to tick off.

  3. Print or save

    Press “Print / save as PDF”. Choose your printer or “Save as PDF”.

  4. Back

    “Back” in the top left takes you back to xstitchr.

2. Read in a PDF pattern you bought

  1. Sign in

    You need an account to import PDFs.

  2. Choose PDF

    Go to “Import PDF” and choose the PDF file from your device.

  3. Wait

    xstitchr reads the grid, the symbols and the thread list. Many pages are put together into one big pattern.

  4. Stitch

    The pattern is now in “My patterns” and you can tick it off in the editor.

Buttons you will see

  • PDF / Print

    Makes a printable chart of your pattern.

  • .stitch file

    Saves your pattern as a file. You can keep it or open it again later.

  • PDF lock

    This pattern comes from a PDF you bought. It stays private.

Good to know

  • PDF patterns you bought belong to the designer. That is why you can’t share them or download them as a PDF again.
  • Your PDF file is not uploaded. It is only read in your browser.
  • It works with patterns from Heaven and Earth Designs, Paine Free Crafts and DMC. Scanned photos of patterns don’t work.

Questions

No window opens when I press PDF.

Your browser is blocking pop-ups. Allow pop-ups for xstitchr or try again.

Are backstitches taken from the PDF?

Not yet. The cross stitches and the thread list are. You stitch backstitches from the original.

Go to PDF import 

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TOPIC 5

What does “confirm rights” mean?

In shortBefore others may see your pattern, you say: this picture is mine, or I am allowed to share it.

How it works

  1. Why?

    Every picture belongs to someone. A photo from the internet belongs to the person who made it. Without permission you may not show it to everyone.

  2. Tap the red button

    On patterns made from your own picture you see a red button with a cross. It means: rights still missing.

  3. Confirm

    A question appears. If the picture is yours or you may share it, press “OK”.

  4. Done

    The button turns grey. Now you can put the pattern online.

Buttons you will see

  • Red with a cross

    Rights missing. Tap to confirm.

  • Grey

    Rights confirmed. Only you can see it.

Good to know

  • Not sure? Then don’t confirm. Your pattern stays private and you can still do everything with it.
  • You can take the confirmation back at any time. Then the pattern goes offline again too.
  • You can never share PDF patterns you bought. They belong to the designer.
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TOPIC 6

What does “put online” mean?

In shortOnline means: others can see it. Offline means: only you can see it. You decide with the globe button.

Share a pattern with the community

  1. Open “My patterns”

    In My studio you find your own patterns.

  2. Tap the globe

    The “Share with the community” button turns green. Now others find your pattern under “Community patterns” and can stitch it too.

Show a project on your profile

  1. Open “Your projects”

    This is where all the patterns you are stitching are.

  2. Tap the globe

    With “Display on your profile” it turns green. Others now see a picture of your project on your profile. They don’t get the pattern itself.

Buttons you will see

  • Red

    Confirm the rights first.

  • Grey

    Offline. Only you can see it.

  • Green

    Online. Others can see it. Tap again to take it offline.

Good to know

  • Pressed it by mistake? “Undo” appears at the bottom for a moment. Tap it and everything is as before.
  • For others to find your profile, switch on “Display profile publicly in the showroom” in your profile.
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TOPIC 7

Drawing your own pattern

In shortIn “Studio” and then “Create a pattern” you paint your pattern square by square. No photo needed.

How it works

  1. Choose the size

    Say how many squares wide and high your pattern should be. Up to 200 by 200.

  2. Pick a colour and paint

    Choose a DMC colour and paint with the pen. There are also shapes and letters for names.

  3. Lines and small stitches

    With “Backstitch” you draw lines. With “Fractional stitch” you place half or quarter stitches for round edges.

  4. Save

    Your pattern goes to “My patterns”. From there you can stitch or print it.

Good to know

  • Layers are like see-through sheets on top of each other. That way you can move parts on their own.

Go to the pattern designer 

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TOPIC 8

Your studio

In shortMy studio is your room on xstitchr. Your projects and your patterns live here.

How it works

  1. “Your projects”

    Patterns you are stitching right now. You see how many per cent are done. Tap to carry on stitching.

  2. “My patterns”

    Your own patterns: from your picture, drawn yourself or from a PDF.

  3. Statistics

    How many stitches you have done and how long you have stitched.

Buttons you will see

  • Printer

    Print as a PDF.

  • Arrow down

    Save as a .stitch file.

  • Bin

    Delete. With “Undo” it comes back if you are quick.

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TOPIC 9

Account, profile and community

In shortWith an account everything is saved. With a profile you show others what you are stitching.

How it works

  1. Create an account

    Press “Sign in” and then “Create an account”. You need an email address and a password.

  2. Set up your profile

    Tap your picture in the top right. There you can add a profile picture, your name and a few words about you.

  3. Find others

    In the community you see posts, can follow others, give hearts and comment.

Good to know

  • You change the language and colour scheme in “Settings”.
  • You can delete your account in your profile. To be safe, you type in a word for this.
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TOPIC 10

Calculator and thread colours

In shortHere you find out how much fabric and thread you need, and which colour matches which number.

How it works

  1. Calculate fabric and thread

    Enter how big your pattern is and which fabric you use. You see how big the picture will be, how much fabric to cut and about how many skeins of thread you need.

  2. Find a thread colour

    Under “Colours” you search for a number or a colour name.

  3. Another brand

    Your pattern says DMC but you have Anchor? The conversion chart shows the matching number.

Good to know

  • Colours on screen never look quite real. Compare important colours with real thread.

Go to the fabric and thread calculator Go to the conversion charts 

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TOPIC 11

xstitchr like an app

In shortYou can put xstitchr on your home screen. Then you open it with one tap, like an app.

How it works

  1. iPhone

    In Safari tap “Share” and choose “Add to Home Screen”.

  2. Android

    In Chrome tap the three dots and choose “Add to Home screen”.

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TOPIC 12

When something doesn’t work

In shortThe most common little problems and what to do.

Questions

I have used up my conversions.

Without an account you get two a day. Sign in and there is no limit. Or come back tomorrow.

The PDF button is grey or doesn’t work.

PDF patterns you bought and patterns removed from the library can’t be downloaded. You can still keep stitching.

My PDF isn’t recognised.

The PDF needs real text or coloured squares. A scanned photo doesn’t work.

I can’t put my pattern online.

Is the button red? Then confirm the rights first. Does it have a lock? Then it is a PDF pattern you bought and stays private.

My progress is gone.

Are you signed in with the same account? Without an account everything is only in this browser.

I can’t get back in the web app.

In the print view there is “Back” in the top left.

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