Should I use the Line tool or Backstitch?

Use Line when the line itself is stitched in cross stitches: a border, a band, a thick stem. Use Backstitch for thin outlines and details that sit on top of your stitches.

Can I change a line after drawing it?

Yes, until you place it: drag either end, move the whole line, or change its width or color. Once placed it becomes ordinary stitches, and Cmd/Ctrl+Z takes it off again.

Can I keep a line inside part of my design?

Yes. Make a selection and turn on Limit edits to selection in the selection menu. The line is drawn in full, then only the part inside the selection is stitched.

Line Tool

Q: How do I draw a perfectly straight line?

Hold Shift while you drag. The line snaps to 15° steps, which include straight across, straight down and the 45° diagonals.

Draw straight rows of stitches for borders, sampler bands, stems and geometric designs. Adjust both ends before the line turns into stitches.

Shortcut: L
Where to find it: Left toolbar → Shape dropdown → Line

Keyboard & modifiers

L: Switch to the Line tool
Shift (while drawing): Snap to 15° steps, including straight across, straight down and 45°
W: Make the line wider
S: Make the line narrower
Arrows: Nudge the line you are placing by one stitch (Shift: ten)
Enter: Place the line
Escape: Cancel the line
Alt+Click (not drawing): Pick a color from the chart

Basics

Counting a straight row of 80 stitches by hand is slow, and one miscount shows. The Line tool draws it in one drag: a border along the edge of a sampler, a band between two rows of motifs, a stem for a flower, the lines of a geometric design.

You drag a line out, adjust its ends until it sits right, then place it.

Drawing a sampler band: drag a line across the chart with Shift held, widen it with W, then Place

Line or backstitch?

Both draw lines, but they stitch differently.

You want…	Use
A border or band stitched in full cross stitches	Line
A thick stem, a bar or a stripe	Line, 2 or more stitches wide
A fine outline around a motif	Backstitch
Lettering, whiskers or details thinner than a stitch	Backstitch

Drawing a line

Press L, or pick Line from the Shape dropdown in the left toolbar.
Drag on the chart from where the line starts to where it ends. Hold Shift to snap it to a clean angle.
Let go. The line isn't stitched yet. Drag either end to change it, drag the middle to move the whole line, or nudge it with the arrow keys.
Change the width or color now if you like: the line updates in place.
Press Enter or click Place to stitch it. Escape or Cancel throws it away.

Starting a new line somewhere else on the chart also places the current one. Each placed line is one undo step, however long it is.

A diagonal line dragged out, its end pulled three stitches further, then placed

Line width

Lines can be 1 to 20 stitches wide. Set the width in the options bar, or press W to widen and S to narrow, even while you're drawing.

1 stitch for a fine border, a grid line or a stem.
2 to 4 stitches for a bold band or a frame that holds its own.
Wider for stripes and blocks of color. Wide lines have rounded ends, like a thick marker.

Three horizontal lines, 1, 3 and 6 stitches wide, stacked on one chart

Angle snapping

Hold Shift while you drag, or while you drag an end of a line you haven't placed yet. The line snaps to 15° steps, which include straight across, straight down and the 45° diagonals. Without Shift the line can go at any angle.

Shift is the easy way to borders that are dead level and diagonals that step evenly, one stitch across for every stitch down.

Borders, bands and grids

A border: with Shift held, draw the four sides of the frame. For a rectangle in one go, the Shape tool draws an outline.
Sampler bands: a straight line between rows of motifs or alphabets, 1 or 2 stitches wide, gives a sampler its classic structure.
A grid or plaid: draw evenly spaced lines one way, then the other, in two colors.
Stems and branches: a 1-stitch line at any angle, then add leaves with the Brush.
Outline, then fill: draw a closed outline with lines, then fill the inside with the Fill tool.
Guidelines: draw on a separate layer to mark the center or the edges of a design, and hide that layer before exporting.

A small sampler with two 1-stitch bands separating an alphabet row from a row of motifs

Dotted lines, erasing and symmetry

Dotted or textured lines: set Fill in the options bar to Checkerboard and the line is stitched at the density you pick. With a secondary color set, it alternates between the two colors.
Erasing: drag with the right mouse button, or use the eraser mode, and the line clears stitches instead of adding them. Handy for cutting a clean gap through a filled area.
Symmetry: with Brush symmetry on, a line is mirrored as you draw, in every symmetry mode. Draw one diagonal, get the matching ones in the other corners.

A two-color checkerboard line next to a solid line of the same width, for comparison

Tips & gotchas

Diagonals look stepped up close. That's the grid. Zoom out to judge them the way they'll look stitched.
Odd angles step unevenly. A line that isn't level, upright or at 45° has uneven steps. Hold Shift if you want tidy ones.
Lines cover what's under them. Use a separate layer to try a border without touching your design.
Only inside an area: with Limit edits to selection on, only the part of the line inside the selection is stitched.