As a follow-up to this post and video, I’m going to be showing you how I use the MacStitch program. There’s also WinStitch which is the PC version, but I use a Mac so that’s the version I’ll be showing you. I discovered the software through its iPad app (Cross Stitch 2 Go, which I talk about in the last video), and I really like it for the amount of functionality and flexibility it has. The main focus of the software is cross stitch, but according to the online manual you can even use it for knitting design or Tunisian crochet (as well as tent stitch and beading designs). I use it for cross stitch, unfortunately I can’t knit or crochet anymore because of my injury, I have to move my arms and shoulders too much in those crafts.
In the video I’ll be showing some advanced import settings which can make a huge difference to your finished pattern, such as adjusting the thread count, finished size, maximum colours, and dithering. I’ll also be showing you some of the settings I use in the program itself once the pattern is created, including how to adjust colours across the pattern as a whole or in a part only. I’ll be demonstrating a few of the settings and options I commonly use when designing my patterns, and I’ll show the range and flexibility the program has. The video is slightly longer than my previous videos as I wanted to make sure I covered some of the main basics in one video, I didn’t want to break it up into two shorter videos. This was my first time using screen recording software, and unfortunately some of the upper and lower menus that were outside of the recordable area were cut off. Here are images of the upper and lower menus that got cut off in the video.
Here is the link I refer to in the video:
Pixlr online photo editor (like Photoshop but free)
I hope you enjoy this video, and please feel free to ask any questions or give me feedback below!
10 Responses
Gail
I am trying to create a cursive verse pattern and cannot find lowercase alphabet on MacStitch. Can you help please?
Thanks!
Dana Batho
Hi Gail! I’m not sure which one you mean, as there are backstitch alphabets in MacStitch, as well as it can read any font you have installed on your computer. So the preinstalled backstitch alphabets are limited, but there are ones that can use lower case, and for the other ones that’s completely dependent on what fonts you have installed on your computer already. 🙂
raffaella
Really? It will be nice meeting you too in Palermo. I run a b&b in Palermo (www.piccolasicilia.it). I’d like to meet you and it will be very proud for me show you my cross-stitch works 😀
Sorry for my bad written english. Please, when you make your tutorial could you speak not so fast? because it is very difficult for me understanding all your suggestions. grazie mille! ciaoooo I hope to see you soon in Palermo
Dana Batho
Haha your English is just fine Raffaella! And I’ll try to slow down when I speak, if you need extra details I always do a blog post for each video as well (the link is in the video description). I haven’t been to Palermo, my family that live in Amsterdam have gone several times and loved it! I would love to go, but it’s too far for me, I have an injury so it’s very difficult for me to travel. Maybe one day! And grazie mille to you too for your comments! 🙂
raffaella
Thank you Dana for you answer. And greetings from Palermo – Sicily!! I appreciate your tutorial.
Ciaooo
Dana Batho
Haha you’re very welcome Raffaella, and I’m very jealous you’re in Palermo! My Dutch family has visited there many times, I’ve seen some incredible photos of your beautiful city! 🙂
raffaella
Is it free?
Dana Batho
Hi Raffaella, thanks for your question! No, MacStitch (and the PC version WinStitch) isn’t free, it’s very good quality software. You can get a free demo of it from their site and play with it (ursasoftware.com), you just can’t save or print your patterns with the demo version. There are several fully free cross stitch softwares online, but I really can’t recommend any of them. The reason is that the colour calibration is terrible in them, so even if your preview image looks ok, when you stitch it the colours will all be wrong. Like one software is known for turning images greenish. The free ones are fine if you’re doing a very simple pattern, but if you’re wanting to turn a family photo or something into a full pattern, you’ll either need to get proper paid software or pay a professional to convert the pattern for you. Does that help?
Pat DeWhitt
Hi-
Just a question about the MacStitch work screen. I’m figuring out what most of the symbols in the toolbar are for, but I’m wondering what the four little colored rectangles next to the bead symbol. I’ve looked all through the company’s documentation and it doesn’t say. grr.
Thanks
Pat
Dana Batho
Hi Pat, that’s a good question! I don’t use that one as I don’t design with fractional stitches, but that’s actually for putting blocks of colour in each quadrant of a “normal” size grid. So if you click on the colour you want and then click on that button, you can drop quarter stitches into any quadrant of a grid square you like. 🙂 Hope that helps!