Name in cross stitch

To write a name in cross stitch, type it in the tool above: its chart appears letter by letter (5 stitches wide and 7 tall per letter, one empty column between letters), with its stitched size in inches and the DMC skein you need. Print it for free, find the center of your fabric, and start stitching from the middle letter.

How to cross stitch a name in 4 steps

1. Type the name in the “Text” box. A second line holds a date, a last name or a short message (40 characters max for both lines).
2. Pick the letters : “Uppercase” writes EMMA, “As typed” keeps Emma, lowercase included.
3. Pick the color and the fabric. The chart, the stitched size, the stitch count and the DMC skein you need show up instantly.
4. Print the chart, or click “Stitch this name in the editor” to frame it with a heart, a border or a band, and download the PDF pattern.

An example: “IRIS” on 14-count Aida

Four letters 5 stitches wide, plus three empty columns between them: the name fits in 23 × 7 stitches, about 1.6 × 0.5 in (4.2 × 1.3 cm) on 14-count Aida, the size of a bib label. With a 2 in (5 cm) margin all around, a 6 × 5 in (15 × 12 cm) piece of fabric is plenty.

How big will the stitched name be?

Width is counted in stitches: 6 per letter, minus one, since the last letter has no empty column after it. The fabric then turns those stitches into inches: the higher its count, the smaller the stitches.

On linen stitched over 2, use the Aida column at half the count: 28-count linen gives the same size as 14-count Aida, 32-count linen the same as 16-count Aida. The size and fabric to cut does the math for every fabric.

Uppercase, lowercase and accents

The tool's alphabet is the one from the stixiva editor. Each capital letter fits in 5 stitches wide by 7 tall. Lowercase letters are just as wide: their body is 5 rows, tall letters (b, d, f, h, k, l, t) rise to capital height, and g, j, p, q, y drop 2 rows below the line, which adds 2 rows to the chart.

Accented letters (é, è, ê, à, ç, ô, ï…) have their own design, as do numbers and common punctuation: “Zoé”, “Anaïs” or “12.05.2026” are written as is. For a name on its own, a capital followed by lowercase letters often reads better than all caps; for a date or initials, capitals stay crisper.

All the letters are gathered on thecross stitch alphabetchart, printable as a PDF.

Centering the name on the fabric

An off-center name shows right away, especially in a frame or inside a border. The simplest method:

1. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise, then widthwise: where the folds cross is the center. Mark it with a basting stitch or a pin.
2. On the chart, find the center of the name: half its width in stitches, and the middle of its 7 rows.
3. Start with the middle letter (or the gap between the two middle letters), then stitch out to the left and to the right.

For two lines, center each one on the same vertical axis: a date shorter than the name sits in the middle, below it.

A birth sampler: date, heart and border

A birth gift is the most common use: a name, a date, sometimes the baby's weight and length. Put the date on the tool's second line, then add some decoration:

• the borders and frames tool draws a border all around the chart, with matching corners and the name in the center;
• the free small patterns (heart, star, moon, butterfly…) can be stitched next to the name;
• in the editor, the name can also curve in a circle around a motif.

Stitching a name on a towel or a piece of clothing

A terry towel, a bib or a T-shirt has no regular holes: you stitch through a temporary canvas (often called waste canvas) basted onto the fabric. Once the stitches are done, dampen it and pull the canvas threads out one by one: the name stays on the fabric.

The chart is the same as on Aida: only the size changes, depending on the waste canvas count. Pick the Aida with the same count in the tool to know the final size.

Which floss, and how much?

On 14-count Aida, names are usually stitched with 2 strands of floss and a size 24 tapestry needle. A name uses very little: a 5-letter name is about a hundred stitches, far less than a skein. The tool shows the DMC skein you need for the chosen color; one is enough in almost every case.

When picking the color, think about contrast with the fabric: a dark floss (cobalt blue, carmine red, charcoal gray) reads from afar on white or ecru fabric, a pastel one quickly fades away.

Our take

A stitched name mostly succeeds before the first stitch: right size, right centering, right color. That's why the tool shows the size and the skein right away, rather than just a picture of the letters. For a first name, we suggest keeping the alphabet simple: 7-stitch letters are stitched in one evening, and they read perfectly.

To go further, the guide how to cross stitch a name covers choosing an alphabet, starting your thread and moving from one letter to the next without threads crossing at the back.

To go further than this tool: the free cross stitch software stixiva draws, converts and prints your charts, online or on Windows, and its Stitch mode tracks your stitches as you work.