A little thread planning
Cross Stitch Floss Calculator
Estimate skeins for your full cross stitches.
Two-strand stitching · 14, 16 or 18 count Aida
Count your stitches
Estimates update in your browser. No account is needed.
ESTIMATE · ONE COLOR
Rounded up to full skeins for the selected color.
- Base working length
- 108.86 m
- Including 20% extra
- 130.63 m
- Skein equivalent before rounding
- 5.443
Multicolor pattern: estimate each color, round each one up, then add. Leftover thread from another color cannot fill the difference.
This is an approximate model, not a DMC per-stitch guarantee. Tension, scattered stitches, back travel, tails and rework can change usage.
THE ESTIMATE
One model, clear assumptions
The default uses Kathleen M. Dyer’s published approximation of six stitch widths of two-strand working thread per full X. Its rough path estimate already allows for the back of the stitch and some slack. This tool adds your extra allowance on top; the default is another 20%.
Working meters = full X stitches × 6 × 0.0254 ÷ fabric count
Planned meters = working meters × (1 + extra allowance ÷ 100)
One-color skeins = round up (planned meters ÷ 24)
Do not use the tutorial’s older skein table here: we calculate from the path estimate and today’s 8 meter, six-strand specification. Half stitches, backstitching and blended colors are outside this estimate.
Sources: Needlework FAQ, section 32 · DMC stranded cotton specifications · Thread-Bare skein estimator
BEFORE YOU STOCK UP
A few helpful answers
Why does an 8 meter skein provide 24 meters for two-strand stitching?
DMC stranded cotton has six separable strands. Separating an 8 meter skein into three pairs gives three 8 meter lengths of two-strand working thread: 24 meters before waste. The default 20% extra allowance is added to estimated usage.
Can I use pattern width multiplied by height as my stitch count?
Only for a completely filled rectangle. Count the actual full X stitches in your pattern, leaving out empty squares, half stitches and backstitching. This estimator models full cross stitches, not every kind of embroidery stitch.
Can I round one total for a multicolor design?
A whole-pattern total gives only a pooled skein equivalent. Estimate each color separately, round that color up to full skeins, and then add the quantities. For example, two colors with 100 stitches each require one skein of each color, rather than pooling the 200 stitches and rounding only once.
How does this compare with Thread-Bare’s skein estimator?
Thread-Bare offers choices for strand count, skein length and stitching style and cites Kathleen M. Dyer’s tutorial. This tool starts with the tutorial’s approximate 6/count inch path per full X, an 8 meter six-strand skein worked with two strands, and an extra allowance of 20% that you can adjust. Different assumptions can produce different estimates; neither is a guarantee of exact usage.
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