Stitching from a digital chart: tablet or phone?
More and more charts are sold as PDFs. You can print them, or stitch straight from the screen. Here's when a screen works better, and how to set it up.
Where a screen beats paper
- Zoom. Tiny symbols can be enlarged; on paper you'd need a magnifier.
- One chart instead of a stack of pages. A big chart runs to dozens of pages; on screen there's nothing to tape together or shuffle.
- Marks don't spoil the chart. You can undo them if you slip.
Where it doesn't
- Battery. The screen is on all evening, so keep a charger nearby.
- The screen sleeps. A phone that locks every thirty seconds gets annoying. Use an app that keeps the screen awake, or change the auto-lock setting.
- Glare and brightness. Your lamp reflects in the screen. A stand at an angle and dark mode in the evening help.
Tablet or phone
- A tablet shows a big part of the chart at once, so there's less scrolling. It sits well on a stand next to your work.
- A phone is always with you — on a train, in a queue. But you see a small part of the chart and scroll more.
Many stitchers use a tablet at home and a phone on the go. Then it matters that your marks are the same on both.
Never lose your place
- Mark as you go, not "at the end of the evening".
- Highlight one colour if your chart lets you: its squares are easier to find.
- Note coordinates — row and column from the rulers, not "somewhere bottom left".
About the author
This article was written by the Crossette team. We're building Crossette, a cross stitch tracker for iPhone and iPad: you mark stitches on the chart — from full crosses to backstitch, beads and French knots — highlight one thread and see what's left of each, and jump to any square by its number. It's in development; to join the beta, email [email protected].