Turn a photo of your horse into a cross-stitch pattern
Short answer: for most horses, a head-and-neck portrait works better than the whole body. Make it about 100 stitches wide with 12 to 18 colours, and choose a photo where the eye is sharp and the background is plain.
Head portrait or whole horse?
A whole horse is long and the head becomes small. A head-and-neck portrait gives the eye, nostrils and mane enough stitches. If you want the whole horse, go wide: 150 to 200 stitches.
Coat colours
- Bay and chestnut stitch well: warm browns with clear dark points.
- Grey and white horses need a darker background and several shades of grey.
- Black horses need a lighter background and enough colours to keep the shine on the coat.
Which photo works best
- Close and clear: the face fills most of the frame, in focus.
- Even light: daylight from a window, no harsh shadows across the face.
- A plain background that contrasts with the subject. It becomes a simple area of stitches, not hundreds of tiny colour changes.
Make a pattern from your horse photoUpload a photo, choose the size and colours, and see the full pattern before you pay. Your photo never leaves your device.Make my pattern
Questions people ask
How big should a horse cross-stitch be?
About 100 stitches wide for a head portrait; 150 to 200 for the whole horse.
Can I stitch a horse in a field?
Yes, but crop close. A wide field makes the horse small and adds many grass colours.
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