In development · early list open

The PDF chart you already bought, on screen at last

Ruta Stitch opens the cross-stitch PDF you already own, finds the chart grid and lets you check it before you begin. Then you mark off finished stitches without losing your place. Being built for Windows, Android and iOS.

Rue sprig · 20 × 14 1 square = 1 stitch

Try it: tap or drag

0 / 0 stitches marked

Why bother building this

Three things that go wrong with a PDF chart on a screen

Every designer builds their charts differently, and most apps only cope with some of them. You find out which after you have paid for the pattern.

The grid lands crooked

Your marks drift a square sideways halfway down the chart, and you don't notice until the motif is off.

Multi-page charts won't line up

Big designs come split across pages with overlapping rows. Joining them by hand is the least fun part of a new project.

Symbols turn to mush when you zoom

A ● and a ◐ in the same dark green are hard enough to tell apart before the page is blurred.

What it does, and what it will do

Made for the charts that break other apps

One chart opening properly proves nothing. Ruta Stitch gets tested against charts from one shop after another, so the squares land where the designer put them.

01Patterns you already own

Open the PDFs you bought from Etsy or anywhere else. Nothing to convert and no separate library to buy from. They stay on your device, so you can stitch with no signal.

Working today

02You confirm the grid

Ruta Stitch finds the grid and shows it to you first. If it sits wrong on an unusual chart, you nudge it into place and carry on.

Working today

03Mark stitches as you go

Tap a square or drag across a run of them. Undo if your finger slips.

Working today

04Sharp as you zoom

Symbols stay clear when you zoom in on a fiddly section of confetti.

Working today

05Pages joined for you

Split charts stitched back into one continuous grid, overlap rows and all.

Coming next

06Same app on every screen

Windows, Android and iOS are being built together, so no platform ends up with the stripped-down version.

All three in build

Progress so far

Where the work stands today

done in progress queued

  • Grid alignment on the charts tested so far: working
  • Windows: running
  • Android: running on device
  • iPhone and iPad: what I'm on right now
  • Joining split pages: coming next
  • A beta with real stitchers: that's what the list is for

I'm one person building this, and I stitch. It started because I wanted it and the apps I tried kept failing on charts from certain designers.

So far it's been tested against charts from a good few shops. No two designers build their charts the same way, and that's where these apps usually fall over.

I'd rather tell you it's unfinished than promise a date I'd miss. There's no release date yet, no pre-orders and nothing to pay. The list is how you hear first.

Six questions · about a minute

Tell me what to build first

I can only get one thing right at a time, so I'd rather it be the thing that annoys you most. Answer what you feel like and skip the rest. Only the email needs filling in.

Q1How do you follow a chart right now?Pick all that apply
Q2Which device would you stitch from?Pick all that apply
Q3What goes wrong most often for you?Pick all that apply
Q4If it reliably opened your PDFs, kept your progress and synced it across your devices, what would you realistically consider paying?

You're on the list

Thank you. Your answers change what I work on next, and you'll hear from me when there's something worth opening.