Put names, dates and words on a cross stitch pattern

Stitch it once, re-personalise it forever

This is the part that matters, and it is where a text generator and a pattern editor part company. A generator stamps your letters onto the grid and walks away. From then on they are ordinary stitches, so changing the name means erasing it square by square.

Here the text stays an object on the pattern. Change the wording, the alphabet, the size or the position whenever you like. One baby sampler covers every new arrival. One wedding design serves the next couple. A birth date typed wrong is a ten second fix, not an evening of unpicking.

Alphabets built for a grid

The letterforms are drawn for stitching rather than rasterised from a screen font, so curves and thin strokes land on whole cells and stay readable at small sizes. Backstitch alphabets give you fine line lettering for monograms, sampler bands and dates, where filled cross stitch letters would look heavy.

It sits on the pattern, not beside it

Text is placed on the chart itself, so the stitch counts, the thread list and the finished size all account for it. What you see is what you will stitch.

Common questions

Further reading

• Cross Stitch Alphabets and Lettering: Getting Names to Look Right

  Lettering is where personalised pieces are won or lost. How to choose an alphabet, space it properly, and keep it changeable.

• How to Design Your Own Cross Stitch Pattern

  Designing your first chart is less daunting than it sounds. Start small, work in blocks, and add outlines last.