Leave room
for the finish.
A chart’s finished design size normally describes the stitched area. Your fabric must also leave room for handling and your chosen finish. A border is a distance on each side, not a single amount added to the whole width.
The border is counted twice
A design 10 inches wide with 3 inches extra on each side needs 10 + 3 + 3 = 16 inches of usable fabric width. If it is 12 inches high, the required height is 18 inches. In metric, a 25 cm design with 7 cm per side needs 39 cm.
Visible border and finishing fabric
The visible space around your stitches and the fabric tucked behind a mount serve different purposes. If your plan needs 1 inch visible plus 2 inches for the finish on each side, enter 3 inches in the planner. Do not count the same allowance twice.
A hoop, a sewn finish and a laced mount can need different allowances. Ask your framer or follow the finishing instructions before cutting. The default 3 inches in our tool is a starting example, not a promise that every finish will fit.
Before you cut
- Measure the usable fabric, excluding selvedges or damaged edges.
- Check actual count if the material has been dyed or washed.
- Confirm the design’s stitch width and height, not a size quoted for another count.
- Choose your finishing allowance, then check both orientations.
- Keep some tolerance. A mathematical exact fit leaves no spare room for measurement error.
The planner does not include shrinkage automatically. Follow your material supplier’s care instructions and measure the fabric in its intended working condition.
Calculation reference
Yarn Tree’s calculator also distinguishes the design and extra fabric. Our interactive fit comparison uses your entered border rather than prescribing one finish.