From line drawing to backstitch pattern

A simple line drawing can make a lovely counted-thread piece: a botanical outline, a house portrait, a name in your own handwriting. Getting from drawing to chart takes a few decisions that most pattern makers learn by trial and error. This guide walks through them.

1. What a backstitch chart actually describes

A cross-stitch chart fills squares. A backstitch chart draws lines. On Aida, the needle passes through the holes at the corners of each square, so a backstitch line runs from hole to hole. Lines can go along the edge of a square, diagonally across one, or at other angles, for example two squares across and one up. That last kind is often called a “knight’s move”, after the chess piece.

On Aida, you can also bring the needle up through the middle of a square by piercing the fabric. That gives you half positions, which help with tighter curves and small lettering. On evenweave and linen, stitched over two threads, the threads in between give you the same half steps naturally.

Converting a drawing is therefore a matter of choosing hole positions that follow your lines closely, with stitches that are practical to sew.

2. Choosing and preparing the drawing

Drawings with clean, single lines convert best. Look for:

• One line where you want one row of stitches. Shading, cross-hatching and doubled sketchy lines turn into clutter.
• Details that aren’t tiny in relation to the finished size. A feature smaller than about one square of the chart will disappear or turn into a blob.
• Fairly even line weight. Backstitch has one thickness per thread choice. Thick and thin lines in the drawing become the same width in stitches, unless you deliberately use more strands for some lines.

If you draw digitally, draw with strokes (lines) rather than filled shapes. In vector programs such as Inkscape or Illustrator, avoid commands like “stroke to path” or “outline stroke” before exporting. They turn each line into a filled shape with two edges, and a converter will then see two outlines instead of one line. Lettering usually has to be redrawn as single strokes, or converted with a single-line font.

If your drawing is on paper, photograph or scan it straight on, in good light. You can then trace it onto a grid, by hand or in a charting tool.

3. Working out the finished size

Fabric count is the number of stitches per inch. On Aida, that is the number of squares per inch. On evenweave stitched “over two”, divide the thread count by two: 28-count evenweave over two gives 14 stitches per inch. The finished size is then:

finished size (inches) = number of squares ÷ stitches per inch
finished size (cm) = finished size (inches) × 2.54

For a chart 100 squares wide:

Evenweave or linen stitched over two gives the same result as Aida with half its count: 28-count over two matches 14-count Aida, and 32-count over two matches 16-count.

Then add margin for hooping and finishing. Many stitchers add 5–8 cm (2–3 in) on every side, more if the piece will be framed with a wide mount. Example: a 100 × 80 square chart on 14-count Aida is about 18.1 × 14.5 cm. With 7.5 cm on each side, cut a piece of about 33 × 30 cm.

You can also work the other way round. If you want a design 12 cm wide on 16-count Aida, that is 12 ÷ 2.54 × 16 ≈ 76 squares.

4. Curves, corners and small details

Stitches are straight, so every curve becomes a series of short straight sections. The more squares the curve spans, the smoother it looks. A circle 6 squares across will look clearly angular. At 20 squares across, it reads as round from normal viewing distance.

So if curves look jagged, the most effective fix is usually a bigger chart, either more squares on the same fabric or a finer fabric at the same size, rather than fiddling with individual points. Half positions help as well.

Corners are the opposite problem. A sharp point needs a hole exactly at the tip, or it gets rounded off. After converting, check every corner and junction. Where several lines meet, they should share the same hole, so the join looks deliberate.

Small enclosed details, such as the eye of a bird or the counter of a letter “e”, are the first casualties of a small chart. Either enlarge the chart or simplify them deliberately, for example with a single French knot instead of a tiny drawn circle.

5. How long should one stitch be?

A long straight line in the chart doesn’t have to be one long stitch. Long stitches lie loosely and can snag, especially on things that get handled, such as cushions and bags. A common rule of thumb is to keep individual backstitches to about three or four squares. On 14-count, that is 5–7 mm. Divide longer lines into several stitches.

Framed pieces behind glass can take slightly longer stitches. Shorter stitches also follow a gentle curve better.

6. Thread

With six-strand cotton floss, backstitch is usually worked with one or two strands. One strand gives fine, delicate lines and suits 16- and 18-count fabrics and small lettering. Two strands give a bolder line that stands out on 14-count Aida. You can mix them in one design to suggest thick and thin lines.

Avoid carrying thread more than a few squares across the back, because it can show through light fabric. For a reverse side as neat as the front, as in traditional blackwork, use Holbein (double running) stitch instead.

7. Making the chart

You can chart by hand on graph paper: draw your grid at the right number of squares, trace the drawing underneath and pick the holes yourself. It works, but changing the size means starting again.

Most cross-stitch converters are built for filled pictures. Given a line drawing, they tend to produce blocks of full stitches with an outline around them, rather than a single stitched line. Our free tool Backstitch takes the other approach. It follows the centre of each line in an SVG drawing and places it on a numbered grid of the size you choose. You can then drag points, split long lines, and print or save the chart. For a photo or scan of a paper drawing, it shows the image faintly under the grid so you can trace the lines yourself. Its very fine placement steps are useful for drafting. When you stitch, place each end in the nearest hole or square centre.