Are you confused about the meaning  "STITCH COUNT", and "FABRIC COUNT", and how it affects the finished size of the stitching?  Do you know how to calculate the size of the fabric you need for stitching a design?

Yes, most patterns have size recommendations on them - and many (like mine) give you a selection of sizes... but what if you want to stitch on a fabric that isn't on the list... how can you be sure your fabric is large enough?

STITCH COUNT refers to the number of stitches in your pattern.  Just about every pattern has this information, usually near the Color Key.  It will the number of stitches wide, by the number of stitches high.

FABRIC COUNT refers to the number of stitches PER INCH on the fabric you're using.  If you're not sure what count your fabri is, you can easily figure it out by placing a pin or needle in the fabric, right up against one of the vertical woven strands.  Measure over 1" and put another vertical pin in place.  Now count the number of strands in between the 2 pins.  If there are 14, then that is a 14ct fabric - wasn't that simple?

Just on a side note, have you noticed that everything in needlework gets smaller, the larger the number is?  Fabric counts (11, 14, 16, 18) get smaller because the count is the NUMBER OF STITCHES PER INCH (so, of course, the more stitches you have, the smaller they are!), but needles get smaller as well, 24 is smaller than 22, which is smaller than 20, etc.  Even threads - #12 pearl cotton is finer than #8, up again to #5, and once more to #3!  Kreinik braids are an EXCEPTION, as a #4 is smaller than a #8, which is smaller than a #12, LOL

Sorry to get side-tracked, (wink), let's get back to that fabric size.  You need to know the size of the pattern in stitches - the STITCH COUNT (again, this is printed on the pattern, but if it isn't you can easily count it off, as most patterns are grid in 10 block squares).  You also need to know the FABRIC COUNT.

To calculate the finished design size use the following formula:   stitch count / fabric count = design size.  For example, if your design is 42 stitches wide (stitch count); and you divide it by 14 (fabric count); you find that the stitched design will be 3" wide.  Repeat the formula to calculate the height.  Most stitchers add a MINIMUM of 3" to each side of the design (or 6" to the height and 6" to the width), but you can certainly add more than that.

Now, I'm not trying to confuse you, LOL, but if you are going to be working over 2 strands (often called "working over 2"), remember to divide the fabric count number in half (for example, 28ct "over 2" is the same as 14ct).

PLEASE NOTE: if you want to leave unstitched space showing around the design when the piece is framed, add the amount of space desired to the fabric count before doing your calculations (multiply the space (ie 2") by the fabric count (ie 14) -in the case of this example, you would add 28 to each STITCH COUNT, to leave 2" of unstitched fabric showing around the design. 

I hope this helps, it really is quite easy.  Try a few simple calculations yourself and you'll soon be doing it like a pro!  Happy stitching!