Expert: Kris - 10/8/2010

Question
How much fabric do i need to get if the design area is 160x242 and i want it on 14 count aida??its for cross stitch

Answer
Roxanne -

I wil be happy to help you with this. Figuring out fabric size is easy if you you use this formula -

stitch count / fabric count + 4 inches (or more) for finishing.

So 160/14 = 11.5 or 12 (I always round up to the next inch) + 4 = 16

and

242/14 = 17.5 or 18 + 4 = 22

So fabric cut size need to be 16 x 22.

The only time that the formula has to be altered is if you are working on a high count fabric (28 count joblean or 32 count linen, for example) and are going to use a technique called over 2. Each stitch will cover 4 squares instead of one. so you will get half the stitches per inch then you would stitching over 1. So then you divide your fabric count in half first. If you decided to stitch this project on 28 count linen over 2, it would be the same fabric size as if you stitched it on 14 count.

I hope this helps!

Happy Stitching!
Kris