Aida Count and Chart Size, Explained

Two numbers decide how big your finished piece will be: the count of your fabric and the width of the chart in stitches. Neither is complicated, but getting them wrong means buying fabric twice.

What "count" means

Aida is the stiff, evenly woven fabric most cross stitch is worked on. Its weave forms clear blocks with a visible hole at each corner, and each block takes one cross stitch. The count is the number of blocks - and therefore stitches - per inch.

• 14-count = 14 stitches per inch
• 18-count = 18 stitches per inch

Higher count means smaller stitches, so the same chart comes out smaller and finer on higher-count fabric. This catches people out: 18-count sounds like "more", and it produces a smaller piece.

Evenweave and linen are counted the same way, but are usually stitched over two threads, so a 28-count evenweave gives 14 stitches per inch - the same effective size as 14-count Aida. When someone says "28-count over 2", that is what they mean.

Working out the finished size

The arithmetic is one division:

• width in inches = chart stitches wide ÷ fabric count
• height in inches = chart stitches tall ÷ fabric count
• centimetres = inches × 2.54

So a 200 × 250 stitch chart works out as:

Fabric	Finished size
11-count	18.2 × 22.7 in (46 × 58 cm)
14-count	14.3 × 17.9 in (36 × 45 cm)
16-count	12.5 × 15.6 in (32 × 40 cm)
18-count	11.1 × 13.9 in (28 × 35 cm)
28-count over 2	14.3 × 17.9 in (36 × 45 cm)

The Aida size calculator does this for any chart and count, including the fabric you need to buy.

How much fabric to buy

Finished size is not fabric size. Add margin on all four sides for the hoop or frame, for the stretcher bars, and for the framer to fold over:

• Minimum: 5 cm (2 in) on each side - so 10 cm / 4 in on each dimension.
• Comfortable, and what most framers prefer: 7.5 cm (3 in) each side.
• For a large piece on a frame: 10 cm (4 in) each side.

That 200 × 250 chart on 14-count, with 3 inches all round, needs a piece about 20 × 24 inches (51 × 61 cm). Round up to the next size the shop sells - offcuts are always useful, and a piece cut too small cannot be rescued.

Which count should you pick?

• 11-count - large stitches, easy on the eyes, forgiving. Good for children, for beginners, and for anyone stitching without strong light. Uses more thread.
• 14-count - the default. Almost every kit and chart assumes it, and fabric, needles and advice are all easiest to find.
• 16-count - a modest step up in fineness with little extra strain. A good choice for making a big photo chart fit a reasonable frame.
• 18-count and finer - fine detail and small finished pieces, at the cost of eyesight and patience. Photo portraits benefit most, because the extra stitch density per inch makes faces read better at a normal viewing distance.

Practical advice: if the finished size on 14-count is bigger than the wall space you have in mind, do not shrink the chart - move up a count. Shrinking the chart throws away detail; a finer fabric keeps every stitch and just makes them smaller.

Choosing a chart width in the first place

Work backwards from where the piece will hang:

1. Decide the finished width you want, in inches.
2. Multiply by the fabric count you plan to use.
3. That is your chart width in stitches.

A 10-inch-wide piece on 14-count is a 140-stitch chart; on 18-count it is 180. Now sanity-check the result against the subject: 140 stitches is plenty for a pet or a logo, marginal for an adult face. If the numbers fight, change the count or the frame size rather than accepting a face that will not be recognisable. The photo-to-pattern guide has a table of sensible widths per subject.

Needle sizes, briefly

Match the needle to the fabric so it passes through the hole without forcing:

Fabric	Tapestry needle
11-count	22-24
14-count	24-26
16-count	26
18-count and finer	26-28

When you generate a chart, set the fabric count so the finished size and thread estimates are right from the start. If you are working the other way round - a frame, a hoop or a piece of cloth you already own, and a finished size the piece has to fit - the editor's fabric calculator starts from that size and works back to the chart width, the cloth to cut with margins, the hoop and the skeins: try it with a photo.