Stitch Garden — Cross-Stitch App for iPhone, iPad & Android

Q: Which chart files does Stitch Garden open?

Pattern Maker .xsd files, PDF charts, .oxs files and PCStitch .pat files from versions 6 to 11. Encrypted formats such as .saga and .cstx can't be opened.

Q: Can I open a PCStitch .pat file on iPhone or iPad?

Yes. PCStitch .pat files from versions 6 to 11 open in Stitch Garden on iPhone and iPad.

Formats

Opens .xsd, PDF, .oxs and .pat charts

Pattern Maker, PCStitch, OXS or PDF — Stitch Garden opens the file with everything in it: whole and half stitches, quarters and petites, backstitch, French knots, beads, symbols and rulers. Nothing to copy out by hand.

× .xsd Pattern Maker's own format, with its thread inks, line weights and bead sizes

◆ PDF charts made for printing, read from the page's drawing — every stitch, backstitch, knot and bead, thread names and strands from the key, the title and designer — and checked against the stitch count printed on the chart

● PDF picture charts saved as a picture — very limited for now: many such files don’t open yet, and one that does is worth checking after import

▲ .oxs the open cross-stitch format

■ .pat PCStitch, versions 6 through 11

Tested with PDFs from Pattern Maker, PCStitch, KG-Chart, MacStitch, WinStitch, FlossCross and StitchZoo, including charts saved through a PDF printer and black-and-white pages of symbols alone. When what it reads doesn't match what's printed on the page, Stitch Garden says so instead of opening a wrong chart. Photos and scans of paper charts are not supported.

Add charts from the app, or open them straight from Files, AirDrop or Mail. Several at once is fine.

At the hoop

Made for the middle of a row

Every screen answers a question a stitcher asks with a needle in one hand.

The chart's color key on iPhone, each floss with its symbol and how much of it is stitched

Mark off stitches as you go

Tap a square to mark it. Undo is always one tap away.

Whole, half, quarter and petite stitches
Pencil and eraser, undo and redo
The key shows how much of every thread is done
The color key sorts threads by kind of stitch
Sort the color key by stitch count
Rulers, the navigator and a marker at the center of the fabric
Rotate the chart in quarter turns to match how you hold the fabric
Choose the color used to mark completed stitches
The screen stays lit while a chart is open, Low Power Mode included

One floss color isolated on a cross-stitch chart, with badges giving the length of each run

One color at a time

Tap a square to isolate its thread. The rest of the chart fades back.

When four or more squares of one color are in a row, their number is shown
Count along rows, down columns, or both
Park a needle where its thread is wanted next: the parking method is built in
Select a work region, and everything outside it steps back
Fill marks the whole isolated color in one tap, or only inside the work region
The lock holds the isolated color: a stray tap on another one doesn’t switch it

The stitching diary: a calendar of evenings stitched and the day's figures

Diary and statistics

The diary shows when you stitched and how much, with statistics alongside.

Time spent stitching — breaks don't count
Your best day, days in a row, crosses per hour
Monthly totals broken down by project
A finish date forecast after a week of work
Leave a chart out of the figures with one switch

Floss list for a cross-stitch chart with skeins needed and prices

Floss, stash and shopping list

Before the first stitch: how much fabric, how many skeins of DMC or any other floss, and what it will cost.

Fabric size from the count and margin you choose
A skein calculator: strands, skein length and extra for ends
Prices by brand or by thread, and a costing PDF
Mark what's already in your stash; the rest is the shopping list
Estimate bead quantities and use metric or imperial measurements

iPad

Room for the whole chart

On iPad the palette sits in the toolbar row, leaving more room for the chart.

Close view of the Stitch Garden chart on iPad, with part of a flower stitched and the full flower in view

On every device you stitch on

iPhone and iPad sync your charts and progress through your own private iCloud; Android through a private folder in your own Google Drive. You can transfer your progress between iPhone and Android using a progress file.

Light and dark

Soft surfaces that step back, so forty thread colors don't have to fight the interface.

A shelf of charts

Search, filter and sort by last opened, name or progress.

Work region

Drag a rectangle or trace any shape around the part you're stitching today. The rest of the chart fades back, so only your part stands out.

A rectangle or a freehand shape
Nothing outside the region can be marked by mistake
A counter shows how many of its stitches are done
Clear it when you move on

A work region selected around a daisy on a cross-stitch chart on iPad, the rest of the chart faded

Drawing a work region around a tulip with a finger on iPhone

A closer look

Every screen, calm and to the point

A shelf of cross-stitch charts with the progress of each — Your shelf of charts

A work region selected around a daisy on iPhone, the rest of the chart faded — The same region on iPhone

Today's stitching figures and progress by kind of stitch — Figures for every chart

The fabric and skein calculator — Fabric and skein calculator

Choosing a new symbol for a thread — Your own symbols

Albums

Gather charts into albums

Keep your charts in albums. A chart can be in several albums at once, and your albums sync across your devices.

Albums of cross-stitch charts, each cover showing four of its charts — Albums

An open album of flower charts, with its own search and the progress of each chart — An open album

Adding a chart to an album, with a new album one tap away — Add to album

Layers

Show only what you need

One button above the chart hides the symbols, the marked stitches or any kind of stitch: crosses, halves, backstitch, knots, beads.

The chart with every layer shown, and the Layers button on the bar above it — The Layers button

The same part of the chart with the symbols hidden — No symbols

The same part of the chart with backstitch and knots hidden — No backstitch or knots

The same part of the chart with only backstitch and knots shown — Backstitch and knots only

The same part of the chart with the marked stitches hidden — No marked stitches

Photos and film

Watch it grow

Every stitch you mark is kept with the evening it was made, so a chart can play itself back — from the first cross to tonight's.

A timelapse film from a replay of the chart, or from your progress photos
Save progress photos, replay the chart, or make a slideshow from your photos
The chart beside your photos, and a vertical video
Vertical for Reels and TikTok, or in the chart's own shape
Each photo remembers how much was done when it was taken

More features

Everything around the chart

Park your needles

Mark the square where each needle waits. Every needle shows on the chart and in a list.

Charts from anywhere

Add charts from the app, or open them straight from Files, AirDrop or Mail — several at once if you like.

Navigator

When the chart is zoomed in, the navigator shows which part you're looking at.

The screen stays lit

While a chart is open, the screen stays on and doesn't go dark.

Correct a symbol

Give a thread another symbol, even the one your paper chart uses. Its name and number can be fixed there too.

Your grid, your way

Set the grid's shape, weight, strength and color, the rulers and the marking color.

Move between iPhone and Android

A progress file carries your stitching to another device: iPhone, iPad or Android.

Reset or delete

Reset takes the fabric back to bare and starts the chart again in your diary. Delete takes the chart and its days together.

Beads, knots and outlines

Whole, half, quarter and petite stitches, backstitch, French knots and beads.

Albums for your charts

Sort your charts into albums however you like. One chart can be in several albums, and albums sync across your devices.

Languages

Speaks your language

Stitch Garden follows your device's language.

Privacy

Your charts stay yours

No account needed. The app collects no data.

No sign-upNo login, no password, no email address.
No ads, no analyticsStitch Garden collects no information.
Your own iCloudiPhone and iPad sync through your private iCloud database.
Your own Google DriveOn Android, a hidden folder only the app can see.
Photos stay putStitch Garden keeps progress photos on the device you add them on and never syncs or uploads them.
A file you holdExport your progress, back it up, or hand it to another device yourself.
No limitsAs many charts, photos and films as your device has room for.
Works offlineOpen, stitch and mark with no connection at all. Only sync needs one.

Price

Paid once. No subscription.

No subscription, no extra payments, no limit on charts. Every feature is there from the start.

One purchase

See the price for your country on the App Store or Google Play.

No subscription
No limits — as many charts, photos and films as your device holds
No in-app purchases
No ads
Family Sharing included
iPhone and iPad in one purchase

Questions

Before you thread the needle

Which chart files does Stitch Garden open?

Pattern Maker .xsd files, PDF charts, .oxs files and PCStitch .pat files from versions 6 to 11. Encrypted formats such as .saga and .cstx can't be opened.

Can it read the PDF chart I bought?

Stitch Garden has been tested with PDFs from Pattern Maker, PCStitch, KG-Chart, MacStitch, WinStitch, FlossCross and StitchZoo, including charts saved through a PDF printer and black-and-white pages of symbols alone. It reads the page's drawing — every whole and part stitch, backstitch, French knots and beads, the thread names and strands in the key — and checks it against the stitch count printed on the chart. A PDF saved as a picture opens only in a very limited way for now; many such files can’t be read yet, and one that opens is worth checking after import. When a reading doesn't match the page, Stitch Garden says so instead of opening a wrong chart. Photos and scans of paper charts are not supported.

How do I open an .xsd cross-stitch file on my iPhone?

Open it in Stitch Garden: tap the file in Files, send it by AirDrop or Mail, or tap + in the app and choose it. Pattern Maker's .xsd format is read directly, with its colors, symbols and backstitch.

Can I open a PCStitch .pat file on iPhone or iPad?

Yes. PCStitch .pat files from versions 6 to 11 open in Stitch Garden on iPhone and iPad.

What is an .oxs file?

OXS is the open cross-stitch format that many charting programs export. Save the .oxs file to Files, then tap + in Stitch Garden and choose it.

How do I mark off stitches on a PDF cross-stitch chart?

Add the PDF to Stitch Garden, look over the imported chart, then tap squares to mark them as stitched. For a PDF saved as a picture, check the recognized colors and stitches before you start.

Can I mark backstitch, French knots and beads?

Yes. With the pencil, tap a line of backstitch, a knot or a bead to mark it, as you would a square. Quarters, petites and three-quarter stitches are marked one by one too, up to four threads in a square.

Can I see just one color and count the squares in a row?

Tap any square of that color, or its chip in the palette, and every other thread fades back. While a color is isolated, each run of four or more squares shows its length; choose rows, columns or both under Counting in the settings. Show every color brings the rest back.

Can I work on just one part of the chart?

Yes. Turn on Active zone selection in the settings, then drag a rectangle or draw around the part you want. Everything outside it fades and can't be marked by accident, and a counter shows how much of the area is done.

Does it support the parking method?

Yes. Turn on Parking in the settings and a Park tool appears: mark the square where each threaded needle waits, find them all in one list, and lift one needle or every needle when you're done.

Can I rotate the chart?

Yes, a quarter turn at a time, left or right, under Chart rotation in the settings. Each chart keeps its own turn.

Can I change the symbols on a chart?

Yes. Open the color key, tap Edit threads and give any thread another mark, from the list or a character of your own. Charts that use the same symbol font pick up the change too, and As it was brings the original mark back.

How many skeins of floss do I need for a chart?

The materials screen lists every thread in the chart with how many skeins it needs, from the strands and skein length you choose. Mark what's already in your stash and the rest becomes the shopping list.

How long will my cross stitch take?

The stitching diary records the time you spend and the crosses you make each day, and after a week of work it forecasts the date you'll finish.

Can I export a chart to .oxs or another format?

No. Stitch Garden opens charts but doesn't convert or export them. What you can share is your progress file, the materials list as a PDF, and your photos and films.

Do I need an account?

No. There is no sign-up, no login and no Stitch Garden server. Everything is kept on your device.

Does my progress sync between devices?

Between iPhone and iPad, through your own private iCloud. On Android, through a private folder in your own Google Drive that only the app can see. Photos stay on the device you add them on.

Can I move a chart between iPhone and Android?

Yes. Share a progress file from one and open it on the other. It carries your marks, resets and parked needles for one chart or several; open the same chart file on the new device and the work is there.

Is there a subscription?

No. Stitch Garden is bought once. There are no in-app purchases, no ads, no subscription and no limit on how many charts you keep, and Family Sharing is on. The App Store and Google Play are separate purchases.

What does it run on?

Stitch Garden is designed for iPhone and iPad with iOS or iPadOS 17 or later, and Android 8 or later. It is on the App Store and Google Play.

How do I change the app's language?

Stitch Garden follows your device's language. To use another one for this app alone, choose it in the system Settings under Stitch Garden › Language on iPhone and iPad, or under App languages on Android 13 or later. Step by step, with screenshots.

What if something isn't right with my chart?

Write to [email protected] with the chart's name and a screenshot. More on the support page.

Your chart, square by square.