xStitch Designer is a cross stitch app for iPad only and costs $1.99.  I love the idea of being able to create patterns sitting in a coffee shop, waiting in the doctor’s office and things like that. I have to say, it is worth the price. I know people have a hard time spending money on apps but I don’t know the last time I’ve spent $2 and have been entertained for more than a minute.

Things I love:

• 5 brands of thread to choose from! DMC, JP Coats, Sullivan’s, Anchor, Madeira
• You have options for canvas size, for creating from scratch and for picture conversion
• You can create patterns from scratch
• Picture to pattern conversion and you can edit the picture pattern further
• Right side bar, it’s out-of-the-way and self-explanatory
• Simple tap the square to add a stitch, can choose between adding the thread color, symbol or both
• Scissors to remove a stitch instead of an eraser is a cute idea
• Can save your works in progress
• Email and share with Facebook or Twitter your patterns
• Print to AirPrint printer

Things I’m not so in love with:

• Screen size, zooming in and out distorts the proportions of the pattern and you have to zoom in a lot to make sure you click the correct square
• No finishing details, backstitch, french knots etc options
• No letter writing help, it can be done but you have to figure it out on your own
• No half stitch, quarter stitch, etc options
• No undo button

Something I noticed when playing around with a picture of a hibiscus flower was that the size of the canvas affects the detail of the pattern which is obvious but also the brand of thread changed the detail of the pattern. Some brands are better for picture conversion apparently.

Overall, I enjoy this app. It’s perfect for creating smaller, simple projects. I think I’m going to use it create some coaster patterns. You can never have too many coasters. It’s great for getting the basic understanding of cross stitch pattern making. xStitch Designer is worth it for those who want to create patterns on their iPad.