It will soon be time to sing "happy birthday to me", LOL, but first, since we only keep tips for TWO years here's an old tip recycled ... Some stitcher's are confused about "STITCH COUNT", and how the count of the fabric affects the finished size of the stitching.  Of course, most know that a smaller stitch will equal a smaller stitching (that's pretty logical), LOL.  But how do you calculate the size of the fabric you need for stitching a design?

Yes, most patterns have size recommendations on them - and many (like mine) give you a selection of sizes... but what if you want to stitch on a fabric that isn't on the list... do you know how to calculate the finished size, so you can be sure your fabric is large enough?

Of course, if you're going to a SMALLER count fabric (say 16, rather than 14), if you use the size recommended for the 14ct you'll have more than enough.  Just on a side note, have you noticed that everything in needlework is smaller, the larger the number is?  Fabric counts (11, 14, 16, 18) because the count is the NUMBER OF STITCHES PER INCH (so, of course, the more stitches you have, the smaller they are!), but needles as well, 24 is smaller than 22, which is smaller than 20, etc.  Even floss, #12 pearl cotton is finer than #8, up again to #5, and once more to #3!

Sorry to get side-tracked, <wink>, let's get back to that fabric size.  You need to know the size of the pattern in stitches (again, this is printed on the pattern, but if it isn't you can easily count it off, as most patterns are grid in 10 block squares).  You also need to know the fabric count.  If you're not sure, place a pin or needle in the fabric, right up against one of the vertical woven strands.  Measure over 1" and put another vertical pin in place.  Now count the number of strands in between the 2 pins.

If you are going to be working over 2 strands, remember to divide the fabric count number in half (for example, 28ct over 2 is the same as 14ct).

To calculate the finished design size use the following formula:   stitch count / fabric count = design size

For example, if your design is 42 stitches wide (stitch count); and you divide it by 14 (fabric count); you find that the stitched design will be 3" wide.  Repeat the formula to calculate the height.  Most stitchers add a MINIMUM of 3" to each side of the design (or 6" to the height and 6" to the width), but you can certainly add more than that.

PLEASE NOTE: if there is white space around the design that you want left showing when the piece is framed, add the amount of space desired to the fabric count before doing your calculations. 

Using our example of 14ct fabric, if you wanted an inch of white space showing around the design (say 1/2" on each side), you would add 14 stitches to the 42 stitch width, before dividing by the fabric count.  In other words, (42+14) / 14; or 56 / 14, for a design width of 4".  Add the 6" framing allowance, and the minimum width of the fabric you should use for your stitching would be 10".

I hope this helps, it really is quite easy.  Try a few simple calculations yourself and you'll soon be doing it like a pro!  Happy stitching!