Cross stitch patterns can be found all over the Internet, though discerning which are the best sources take a little time and experimentation. Being a keen needlewoman, my search of the Internet has brought up some very interesting sites, and some favorites which produce good quality and wonderful presentation which is rather important when you want to produce good quality work.
The sites described below offer the needlewoman an amazing variety of patterns, and the process of downloading is also described so that you can make the most of the services offered by the sites mentioned.
Cyberstitchers.com
This site has a wonderful array of patterns, and the neat thing here is that you can scroll through their designer patterns and get a feel for new projects. Not only does it offer patterns. It offers the chance to follow their lead giving you ideas of new projects you may not have thought of. In order to view the patterns on this site, you will need to install their free pattern viewer though this doesn't take long and also gives you an opportunity to subscribe to emails which keep you appraised of information on new patterns and ideas.
Sometimes opening an email from this site sparks off the creative juices, and gets you enthused and anxious to do your next project. The patterns available on the site suit all ages and are worked on different thread counts and weaves to create great presents. For example, their calendars are great and if you like a particular designer, you can filter those patterns by that particular designer.
Alita Designs.
This is a great site. It's easy to navigate and the charts are superbly detailed and easy to download. If you have bad eyesight as I do, this site allows you to choose the size of print you do to help you to be able to see clearly the complex layout of the patterns which is also a plus. A site ideal for wildlife pictures, although less complete in variety as the previous site, is certainly one to think of if you want pictures of this specialist nature.
Website software.
Websites specializing in cross stitch are not the only place to get cross stitch patterns. What I found in my journey was that I can create my own cross stitch patterns for free using software downloaded from sites like download.com. Typing into their search will enable you to locate cross stitch pattern software which is downloaded for free, and the scope with this is far greater than individual sites can give you, as importing photographs onto grids ready for sewing means that the choice you get for free is limitless.
Stitchshop6 is free to download and try. Of course they will want to sell you their program though what sites like download.com allow you to do is to try out different programs and let you see which one works best for you before shelling out money on disappointing programs. Even better than that if you type a search into Google, you can try out software which really is free of charge such as Bordar which is a very simple program indeed to download and to use, and will always be there when you need it, converting everyday pictures into cross stitch grids and patterns.
Available from freedownloadscenter.com, the choice of programs is quite limited, though the free programs are useful for making those favorite pictures into timeless cross stitched family memories which can be framed and passed on to children or used to commemorate that special event that others simply capture in photo form.
Cross stitch is fun. It's easy and addictive, though the trick lies in finding sources for patterns which are not available in the shops and that are sufficiently original to make your work stand out as special. The above possibilities are certainly worthwhile looking into and I share them gladly because I know how much pleasure cross stitching can give you, especially if you manage to find those perfect patterns without having to spend money, using the savings on extra silks.