Free tool
Cross stitch time calculator
Enter the stitch count, or the chart size, and how fast you stitch. You'll see the hours left and how many weeks that is at your usual pace.
Time to finish
120 hours of stitching for 12,000 stitches.
At 5 hours a week, that's about 24 weeks (about 5.5 months).
The estimate is only as good as the speed you put in. The guide to how long cross stitch takes explains how to time yourself so the number holds up, and the floss calculator works out how many skeins the same stitch count needs.
Frequently asked
- How does the calculator work out the time?
- It divides the stitches you have left by your stitches per hour, then divides those hours by the hours you stitch each week. If you enter a chart size instead of a stitch count, it multiplies width by height and takes the share of the area you said is stitched.
- How fast do people cross stitch?
- It varies a lot. In one long forum thread where stitchers timed themselves, answers ran from about 30 to 200 full stitches an hour. Your own number is the one that matters, so time yourself on the actual project for half an hour and double it.
- Why is my real time longer than the estimate?
- Charts full of scattered single stitches take longer than their stitch count suggests, because each one needs its own start and finish. Backstitch, French knots and lots of color changes slow things down too. Time a busy section as well as a plain one and use the slower speed.
- Does it count backstitch and French knots?
- No, it counts full crosses only. Time a short stretch of backstitch separately if a pattern has a lot of it, or add some extra time on top of the estimate.