Many online cross stitch stores offer freebies to download and print from your computer. This is great way to try a product and gain trust on online cross stitch shops.

Online stores offer free cross stitch patterns usually on a pdf format, otherwise known as Adobe Acrobat Reader. To download a freebie, you will need to click on a link provided and then save in your documents. It is a good idea to first read any instructions provided on how to download the freebies.
If the free cross stitch pattern was made in adobe acrobat reader, then you will need to have this program in your computer to open the pattern. Here is the difficult part. Acrobat reader has many versions. If the pattern was made on the latest version of acrobat reader (version and you have an older version in your computer, the file will not open. Actually, you may get an error message or a blank page.

This does not mean that the cross stitch store has given you an invalid link to download a freebie, it has simply to do with the fact that you need to update your adobe acrobat reader in your computer! To check which version of adobe acrobat reader you have, locate this program in your computer and open it. Then go to menu Acrobat and click on “about acrobat”. It will open a window saying which version you have in your computer. Acrobat reader is a free program and can be easily installed in your computer. Once installed the new version will overwrite the old version so you do not need to do anything further.

When you managed to open the free cross stitch pattern and saved it in your documents, you will now need to print it so you can start stitching! Cross stitch patterns must be printed in the highest quality, in order for the grid and symbols to be accurately visible and clean. Make sure you have a nice quality A4 paper and check that you are not running out of ink. According to the file format, you may need to select the appropriate size from your printer menu - page set up. If the cross stitch pattern is missing some grids from the top or the bottom of the page (or even from the sides), you will need to go to the printer menu and select a borderless printing.
Every online shop which offers free cross stitch patterns to download, has created the patterns carefully with full instructions. If instructions are missing and you are not sure how to download a freebie, contact the shop owner and ask for advice.

And something else you should not forget! Even the free cross stitch patterns are copyrighted and should be used only for your personal use.

I hope this guide has been useful. Happy stitching!

By: Yiota Christodoulou

cross stitch