| You want to… | Pattern Keeper | Stitchmate |
|---|---|---|
| Follow a PDF you bought on Android | Yes | Yes, in the browser |
| Follow it on iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC | No (Android only) | Yes |
| Pick up on another device where you left off | No | Yes, with an account |
| Mark backstitch as done | Not yet | Yes |
| Read scanned or picture-only charts | No | Not yet |
Early access
Track your cross stitch PDF on any device
Drop a chart PDF you bought. Stitchmate reads the chart and its key, checks the reading against the stitch counts your PDF prints, and turns it into a pattern you can track on iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac or PC. Free during early access.
Pattern Keeper for iOS, Mac and PC: the short answer
Pattern Keeper is the app many stitchers use to follow a designer's PDF: it reads the chart, highlights one symbol at a time, and marks stitches done. It runs on Android only. On iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC there is no native version today.
Stitchmate covers that gap from a different angle. Instead of reading the PDF live every time you open it, it reads the chart once and turns it into a real pattern. From then on you track it in Progress mode, in any browser, and your progress syncs between your phone and your computer when you're signed in.
How to import a cross stitch PDF
- Drop the PDF above. It opens in Stitchmate. Sign in if you aren't already; it's free.
- Wait for the reading. Stitchmate uploads the PDF and reads it page by page, usually in seconds. Long charts with dozens of pages take longer.
- Check it against your PDF. The reading sits next to the original page, so you can compare a corner, a border or a tricky area. The verdict at the top tells you how far to trust it (more on that below).
- Fix anything that's off. If the key's thread brand wasn't clear, confirm it. If a color's thread was read wrong, pick the right one. Every fix re-runs the checks.
- Start tracking, or open it in the editor. The pattern is saved to your library with the designer credited.
On a phone, you can drop the file straight from the Files app or your downloads. If you bought the pattern on Etsy or a designer's shop, download the PDF first, then pick it here.
How the reading is checked
Reading a chart is the easy part. Knowing whether it was read right is what matters before you put 40 hours into it, so every import is checked against the one thing the designer printed that can be counted: the stitch count next to each color in the key.
- Looks right. Every color's stitch count matches the key. This is the verdict most designer PDFs get.
- Check N things. A few colors don't match, often a thread code the key abbreviates or a color that shares a symbol with another. The colors are highlighted so you can compare them with your PDF and fix them in a click.
- Read cleanly. The PDF prints no stitch counts, so there's nothing to check against. The reading may well be perfect, but compare a corner with your PDF before you start.
If something is plainly wrong, like a missing page or a scrambled area, the import says so and asks you to send the PDF to us rather than stitch from it.
What works and what doesn't yet
Works: charts drawn with symbols, which covers most designer PDFs, whether they came from PCStitch, Pattern Maker, WinStitch, MacStitch or KG-Chart. Multi-page charts are stitched back together. Full stitches and backstitch are read, and thread codes come from the key, matched to the real catalog for DMC, Anchor and other brands.
Doesn't work yet: scanned charts, charts saved as images, and PDFs locked with a password. A PDF can be up to 50 MB and 300 pages.
Worth knowing: your PDF is uploaded to read it, and kept privately to make the reader better. It's deleted with your account. The pattern you save is for your own stitching: it carries the designer's name, exports say "for personal use only", and if the PDF forbids printing or copying, Stitchmate won't export the chart either.
Why import instead of reading the PDF live
A PDF viewer shows you the page. An imported pattern knows every stitch, which is what makes tracking useful:
- Counts that mean something. You see how many stitches of each color are left, and how far along the whole piece is.
- One color at a time. Highlight a thread and the rest of the chart fades, the way you'd stitch it.
- Any device, one project. Start on the laptop at the table, carry on from the phone on the couch.
- Your own pattern to adjust. Swap a thread you don't have, or check how much floss you'll need with the thread usage calculator.
If you'd rather design your own chart, the cross stitch pattern maker starts from a blank canvas or a photo, and the stitch counter tracks those too.
Related Guides & Tools
Pattern Keeper vs Stitchmate
An honest comparison, and how to use both on one project.
Tracking your progress
How Progress mode marks stitches, backstitch and whole colors as done.
How to read a cross stitch pattern
Symbols, keys, page overlaps and the grid, explained.
What makes a good pattern PDF
Symbol clarity, page breaks and the details that decide whether a chart reads well.
FAQ
Is there a Pattern Keeper for iPhone or iPad?
Not yet. Pattern Keeper is an Android app; its site says an iOS version is in early development. If you stitch from an iPhone or iPad today, drop your chart PDF on this page: Stitchmate reads it into a pattern you can track in the browser on iOS, and on a Mac or PC too. For how the two compare, see Pattern Keeper vs Stitchmate.
Which PDF patterns can Stitchmate read?
Charts drawn with symbols, which is how most designers publish: exports from PCStitch, Pattern Maker, WinStitch and MacStitch, KG-Chart and similar programs. Scanned charts and charts saved as pictures can’t be read yet. The PDF can be up to 50 MB and 300 pages, and multi-page charts are put back together into one pattern.
How do I know the chart was read correctly?
Most designer PDFs print a stitch count for every color in the key. Stitchmate counts the stitches it read and compares. Looks right means every color matches. Check highlights the colors to compare with your PDF, and you can pick the right thread before saving. Read cleanly means the PDF prints no counts to check against, so compare a corner with your PDF before you start.
Is it free?
Yes. PDF import is free during early access, and so is tracking your progress. People who import during early access keep it free. You need a free account because the PDF is read on our servers.
What happens to my PDF?
It’s uploaded so we can read it, then kept privately to improve the reader. Nobody else sees it, and it’s deleted when you delete your account. The pattern you save credits the designer and is for your own stitching; if the PDF forbids printing or copying, Stitchmate won’t export the chart either.
Does it track backstitch?
Yes. Backstitch lines are read from the chart along with the full stitches, and in Progress mode you can mark backstitch as done by tapping a line or dragging along an outline.
What if my PDF won’t import or looks wrong?
Use Send it to us on the import screen. It tells us which file failed and what the reader saw, so we can teach the reader that kind of chart. Early access is exactly for finding these.