Using Pattern Keeper–Compatible PDF Charts on iPhone and iPad
The PDF charts you have already bought work on iPhone and iPad. Here is what Stitchwork does with them.
Pattern Keeper is a trademark of Datadromeda AB. Stitchwork is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Datadromeda AB or Pattern Keeper.
Many designers sell their cross-stitch charts as PDFs labelled “Pattern Keeper compatible”. Those files are made so a tracking app can read the chart itself — every symbol and every color in the key — rather than just showing a picture of the page. If you stitch with an iPhone or iPad beside you, those same files work in Stitchwork, a cross-stitch pattern tracker for iPhone and iPad.
What happens when you open one
- The symbols and color key come through. On most modern PDF charts, the symbols and the DMC colors in the key are read from the file, and your floss list is built for you.
- Charts printed across many pages become one chart. Stitchwork puts the pages back together, and you check each join before it is used.
- Charts from MacStitch and WinStitch, and most other modern PDF charts, work the same way — including very large ones hundreds of stitches wide.
- If a chart does not read cleanly, you are never stuck. You line the grid up over the chart yourself and carry on, so any chart you own can be used.
What you can do with it
- Mark stitches as you go — tap a cell, or hold and drag to mark a run of them.
- Highlight one symbol to see every place it appears, and see how many of each are left.
- Watch your completion percentage climb as you stitch.
- Use the parking method on big, color-dense charts.
- Keep a floss list with DMC numbers, plus a stash of what you already own.
- Switch between iPhone and iPad — progress syncs through your own iCloud and is merged, so stitches marked on one device are never wiped out by the other.
Good to know before you start
- You start from your PDF. Stitchwork opens the chart file itself; it does not import progress saved in another app. If you are partway through a piece, hold and drag across the areas you have finished to mark them in a few strokes.
- It is for iPhone and iPad (iOS 17 or later). There is no Android, Windows, or Mac version.
- Use charts you own. Only import patterns you have bought or have the rights to use.
What it costs
Your first 3 patterns are free, with every feature, so you can try it on your own charts. After that, a one-time purchase of $12.99 unlocks unlimited patterns. There is no subscription and no account.