Learn the editor by doing.
The fastest path from “I have an image” to “I have a clean PDF I’d actually stitch”. Short, practical pages anchored to real UI locations + shortcuts.

Stitchmate is a browser-based cross-stitch pattern editor built for stitchers who want clean, printable results without fiddly desktop software.
This handbook walks you through every feature — from importing a photo and tuning the palette, to drawing with the brush, selection, and shape tools, all the way to exporting a multi-page PDF ready for your hoop.
Each page focuses on one tool or concept, shows you exactly where to find it in the UI, and lists the keyboard shortcuts that make the workflow feel fast. Start with the 7-step happy path below, then explore individual sections at your own pace.
Start here
The 7-step happy path from “I have an image” to “I have a PDF I’d actually stitch”.
Image Import
Upload a photo, crop and rotate it, choose image type, then use the tab-based settings flow to dial in size, colors, cleanup, adjustments, and stitching details.
Home → Import Image, or Editor → Menu → Import ImageEditing Colors
Change colors without breaking your pattern: pick from thread brands (DMC/Anchor/etc.), swap one color everywhere, fine-tune a shade, and keep symbols in sync.
Right panel → PalettePalette Tools
Fine-tune your palette in one place: adjust color feel (brightness, warmth, etc.), reduce confetti by merging similar colors, switch thread brands, and clean out unused colors.
Color Palette → Palette ToolsConfetti Cleanup Tool
Remove confetti (lonely speckle stitches) using a real-time brush or a safe batch Auto pass. Toggle ConfettiScope to see hotspots at a glance.
Left toolbar → Clean Up ConfettiBrush Tool
BPaint stitches with a round brush. Fast fills, partial stitches with smart Merge, symmetry, two-color texture, and keyboard-precise placement.
Left toolbar → BrushSelection Tool
VSelect stitches so you can copy, fill, erase, expand, or hand them off to Transform.
Left toolbar → SelectionPDF Export
Export your cross-stitch pattern as a multi-page PDF with cover page, thread legend, pattern grid tiles, watermark, and branding.
Editor → ExportGet oriented
Navigation, visibility, and keeping your work structured.
Canvas Navigation
Move around the pattern fast: zoom, drag, jump to fit, and get back to center instantly — on mouse, trackpad, or touch.
CanvasView & Grid Options
Control what you see on the canvas — grid, symbols, backstitch, fabric, overlays — so you can focus on the task at hand.
Top bar → View Options (eye icon)Layers
Keep parts of your pattern separate: background, text, backstitch, experiments. Hide/show, reorder, duplicate, and merge layers when you're ready — all undoable.
Left toolbar → LayersSource Image Overlay
UShow your original photo or illustration as a faint overlay while you edit. Great for tracing, checking alignment, and comparing colors.
Left toolbar → OverlayImport & color
Turn an image into a pattern, then tame the palette.
Image Import
Upload a photo, crop and rotate it, choose image type, then use the tab-based settings flow to dial in size, colors, cleanup, adjustments, and stitching details.
Home → Import Image, or Editor → Menu → Import ImageEditing Colors
Change colors without breaking your pattern: pick from thread brands (DMC/Anchor/etc.), swap one color everywhere, fine-tune a shade, and keep symbols in sync.
Right panel → PalettePalette Tools
Fine-tune your palette in one place: adjust color feel (brightness, warmth, etc.), reduce confetti by merging similar colors, switch thread brands, and clean out unused colors.
Color Palette → Palette ToolsTools
The core edit tools you'll use every session.
Brush Tool
BPaint stitches with a round brush. Fast fills, partial stitches with smart Merge, symmetry, two-color texture, and keyboard-precise placement.
Left toolbar → BrushFill Tool
GFill large areas fast. Click once to paint a connected area, fill within a selection, or clear a region. Instant results, one-step Undo.
Left toolbar → FillShape Tool
RDraw clean geometric shapes in stitches — rectangles, circles, and more — filled or outlined. Perfect for borders, frames, labels, and geometric patterns.
Left toolbar → ShapeLine Tool
LDraw clean straight lines of stitches — perfect for borders, outlines, and pixel-art style edges.
Left toolbar → Shape dropdown → LineText Tool
TAdd lettering to your pattern — names, dates, labels, and short quotes — with a live preview. Choose a font, size, and style, then apply to convert it into stitches.
Left toolbar → TextSelection Tool
VSelect stitches so you can copy, fill, erase, expand, or hand them off to Transform.
Left toolbar → SelectionSelection Transform Tool
TMove, resize, rotate, or flip the stitches inside your selection — with a live preview. Press Enter to apply, Escape to cancel.
Left toolbar → Selection TransformConfetti Cleanup Tool
Remove confetti (lonely speckle stitches) using a real-time brush or a safe batch Auto pass. Toggle ConfettiScope to see hotspots at a glance.
Left toolbar → Clean Up ConfettiBackstitch Tool
KAdd crisp outlines and detail lines on top of your stitches. Draw single lines or connected paths, edit points, and auto-outline color areas with one click.
Left toolbar → BackstitchWorkflow & export
Understand how tools interact, measure comfort, and ship the PDF.
Selection & Tools
How Brush, Fill, Shape, Text, Line, and Confetti Cleanup tools interact with the active selection. Edit only within the selected region.
General behaviorFLOW Score
Your pattern's stitching comfort score. FLOW highlights confetti, palette bloat, messy edges, and noise — and shows you exactly what to fix first.
Left toolbar badge / Right panel → AnalysisPDF Export
Export your cross-stitch pattern as a multi-page PDF with cover page, thread legend, pattern grid tiles, watermark, and branding.
Editor → Export