I've just finished a very old WIP and one of the reasons it has sat languishing in my pile is due to the fact I knew that I probably would not have enough fabric to do the entire piece. Something I have learnt over the past few years is how useful cross stitch calculators can be and are quite simple to use.
For those of you that notice most cross- stitch designers put quite a bit of information on the back of their patterns. Usually, it will include a stitch count (how many stitches high and wide). This is the most important bit of information as you can put this into the calculator and then vary up the count of fabric, how many centimetres you want to leave around the finished piece and if you will be stitching over two threads of one (if using linen).
There are quite a few calculators available on the web- just google and you will find a plethora to choose from. Some are simpler to use than others - and they are usually American so will be using the imperial system - some do have a conversion to centimetres in brackets.
I'm writing this blog post as I'm surprised by the number of cross stitchers who visiting the shop and when pondering what fabric to choose for a particular pattern are not aware of these free tools. I wish I had known about it when planning this pattern from Luminous Fiber Arts - Farm Fresh Eggs. I'm planning on making this into a cushion as I do not have enough fabric around the outside to frame.