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Flossom Chart Reader

Turn your PDF cross stitch pattern into an interactive chart

Open the PDF pattern you already own. Flossom reads the chart, joins multi-page patterns, removes overlaps, highlights matching symbols and keeps track of your progress as you stitch.

Try the Chart Reader free for 14 days. Upload and inspect your PDF first — your trial only starts when you mark your first stitch.

No payment details required · One trial per account

Includes a one-time 14-day Chart Reader trial — no payment details required. Desktop, tablet & mobile · No app store · Use your existing PDF

Flossom cross stitch PDF reader on mobile showing highlighted chart symbols and thread controls

A better way to stitch from a PDF

Your chart is spread across pages?

Flossom automatically joins multi-page charts and removes overlapping rows and columns.

Can't tell two symbols apart?

Replace an unclear chart symbol with something easier to recognise while you stitch.

Tired of hunting for every matching stitch?

Choose a thread or symbol and highlight all matching stitches across the chart.

Still using a highlighter on printed pages?

Mark stitches digitally and keep your progress saved as you work.

Use the PDF pattern you already bought

Bought your pattern from Etsy, an independent designer or another cross stitch shop?

Upload the PDF you already have. Flossom is designed to work with ordinary cross stitch pattern PDFs without requiring a special Flossom file.

Tested with colour charts, colour blocks with symbols, monochrome symbol charts and multi-page patterns.

Your PDF
Flossom Reader
Start stitching

One chart. Even when your PDF has 20 pages.

Flossom automatically detects chart pages, joins them into one continuous pattern and removes the overlapping rows and columns used in printed PDFs.

No jumping backwards and forwards between page 7 and page 8. No accidentally stitching the overlap twice.

Tested with colour charts, colour blocks with symbols, monochrome symbol charts and multi-page patterns. It reads blended-thread symbols too.

Cross stitch PDF pages joined into one continuous interactive chart on a tablet
Flossom cross stitch chart reader highlighting every stitch that matches the selected thread

Find every matching stitch instantly

Choose a thread or chart symbol and Flossom highlights the matching stitches across the pattern.

  • Highlight matching stitches

    See exactly where a colour or symbol appears.

  • Mark completed stitches

    Track what you have already stitched.

  • See what remains

    Keep your progress visible as you work.

Can't tell one symbol from another? Change it.

Some PDF charts use symbols that are difficult to distinguish, especially on smaller screens. In Flossom, simply click the symbol in the thread list and replace it with something clearer.

Choose from 260+ replacement symbols.

Flossom chart reader symbol replacement picker showing an unclear symbol being swapped for a clearer one

Your chart is connected to the rest of your project

Flossom thread list showing project colours matched against stash, with quantities needed and an add-to-cart option

The Reader is not separate from your Flossom project. Your chart colours connect to your project requirements, so you can see what you need, what you already own and what is missing.

Already in your stash

See which project colours you already own before buying more thread.

Missing a colour?

Find suitable thread substitutions from the colours you already have.

Need to buy something?

Add missing threads to your Flossom shopping list.

More than a PDF reader

PDF pattern
Flossom Reader
Project
Thread requirements
Stash / substitutions / shopping list

Standalone chart readers help you follow the stitches. Flossom connects your chart to the rest of your project — including your threads, fabric, stash, substitutions and shopping list.

Flossom project page showing pattern details, fabric and reader progress
Flossom thread substitutions panel showing stash matches and alternative threads

Start on your computer. Stitch on your tablet.

Flossom chart reader running on laptop, tablet and phone

Flossom runs in your browser, so there is no separate app to install and no app-store restriction.

Windows · Mac · Chromebook · iPhone · iPad · Android

Keep stitching even when your connection drops.

Built for real-world cross stitch PDFs

Cross stitch designers use many different chart programs, export settings and layouts. Flossom is built and tested using real PDF patterns rather than relying on one proprietary file format.

WinStitch / MacStitch Tested
PCStitch Tested
FlossCross Tested
StitchMate Tested
Pic2Pat Tested
StitchFiddle Tested
Hobbyware Pattern Maker Tested
Cross Stitch Professional for Windows Tested

Flossom has been successfully tested with colour charts, colour blocks with symbols, monochrome symbol charts, blended-thread symbols and Pattern Keeper-compatible PDF exports from the generators listed above.

However, individual designers may alter export settings, page layouts, fonts, symbols or other elements of their PDF files. Because of this, we cannot guarantee that every PDF created with these programs will be recognised perfectly.

Flossom is continually tested against real-world patterns, and compatibility is improved as new layouts and formats are encountered.

Why stitch with Flossom instead of a standard PDF viewer?

FeatureStandard PDF viewerFlossom
Zoom chartYesYes
Join chart pagesNoYes
Remove page overlapsNoYes
Highlight matching symbolsNoYes
Replace unclear symbolsNoYes
Edit confetti stitchesNoYes
Mark completed stitchesNoYes
Save progressNoYes
Connect to thread stashNoYes
Find thread substitutesNoYes
Create shopping listNoYes
Export chart as an OXS fileNoYes

From PDF to stitching in three steps

1

Add your PDF to a project

Add the cross stitch PDF you already own to your Flossom project.

2

Flossom reads the chart

The Reader processes the chart pages, grid, symbols and colours.

3

Start stitching — and start your trial

Inspect your chart first. Your 14-day Reader trial only begins when you mark your first stitch complete.

Try the Chart Reader before you pay.

  • Upload your own PDF and check that Flossom has read it correctly before your trial begins.

  • Your one-time 14-day Chart Reader trial starts only when you mark your first stitch complete.

  • No payment details are required, and your chart and progress stay saved if the trial ends.

Made for people who actually stitch from PDFs

“Flossom which now includes a reader (!!!) and enhances my stitching time every time I use it.”

— Cathie Bunch

“Very good program and if you need help, they are very fast answering! Highly recommend. Best of all it’s not difficult to learn.”

— Sylvia A.

“I can tell how much thought has gone into this and I am gobsmacked! Well done!!”

— Denise T.

Chart Reader FAQs

Free trial & plans

Yes. Free users get a one-time 14-day Chart Reader trial. You can upload, process and inspect your pattern before the trial starts. The 14-day period begins only when you mark your first stitch complete. No payment details are required.

Your chart and stitching progress stay saved. You can upgrade to Flossom Pro at any time to continue exactly where you left off.

Yes. Chart Reader projects count toward the Free plan's limit of 3 active projects.

About your PDF

Yes. Flossom is designed to work with the PDF pattern you already own. Upload it and the Reader will process the chart pages, symbols and colours.

No. Flossom reads ordinary cross stitch PDFs. You do not need a special Flossom file or format.

Flossom works best with PDFs exported directly from charting software such as WinStitch / MacStitch, FlossCross, Pic2Pat, Stitch Fiddle, PCStitch and more. It can read colour charts, colour-and-symbol charts, monochrome symbol charts and many multi-page patterns. Because designers use many different export settings, compatibility can vary.

Yes. Flossom is built to assemble multi-page PDFs into one continuous chart and remove overlapping rows and columns between pages.

Flossom detects the overlap used in printed PDF chart pages and removes it, so each stitch appears only once in the assembled chart. You have the option to view the page break lines and set their colour in the settings.

Flossom supports full cross stitches, half, quarter and three-quarter stitches, blended-thread symbols, backstitches and French knots. Quarter and three-quarter stitches are available to everyone; individual PDF formats may still need review.

Yes. Any chart you have read into Flossom can be downloaded as an OXS file, the open exchange format most stitching programs can open. Your threads and backstitch lines are included.

You can correct symbols and thread codes inside the Reader. If a PDF is not readable, you can report it for us to review. If a PDF is not compatible at all, the system will let you know before it attempts to load your chart.

Check that the PDF is the original export from the designer or charting software, not a scanned, flattened or image-only file. If it still fails, contact support with the pattern name and designer.

While you're stitching

Yes. Select a thread or symbol in the thread list and Flossom highlights every matching stitch across the chart. You can either select to highlight just full stitches or just backstitches in a particular thread, or both.

You can replace a symbol with one from Flossom's replacement library to make it easier to read.

Yes. Open the thread list, tap a symbol swatch and enable Show the pattern's original symbols below the selector. The switch appears when original artwork is saved. Where available, the Reader uses it instead of automatic look-alikes, preserving accents, outlines and saved relative sizes. This choice is saved per chart and does not change progress. If an older import has missing or incorrectly sized pictures, report it for review.

Yes. In Stitch mode, hold an unstitched square still for half a second to select every remaining stitch of that thread in its 10×10 block. Blocks follow chart rows and columns 1–10, 11–20 and so on, even when turned. Other threads and completed stitches are unchanged. Review the selection, then tap the tick (Save progress) and confirm. Tap an accidentally selected square again to remove it before confirmation.

In Stitch mode, tap an unstitched square, then roll the wheel down to select following squares along the chart row. Shift + wheel follows the chart column instead. Rolling back removes squares added by the wheel. Completed stitches are skipped and any active thread selection applies. Rows and columns stay tied to chart coordinates when turned. Confirm with the stitch action; use Navigate mode for wheel zooming.

Yes. Tick Always park in this corner in the parking box before choosing a corner, or choose one under Chart settings → Thread parking corner. After that the Park button parks immediately without asking. Choose Always ask to restore the question. This preference applies across charts on that device only, and does not move existing parked threads.

Yes. Under Chart settings → Turn chart, choose Left 90°, Upright or Right 90°. The chart view turns while the toolbar and thread list remain upright. Stitch positions, parking and progress do not change. Taps and drags still select the same chart squares; blocks and wheel selection follow the original chart rows and columns. Orientation is remembered per chart on each device, with no re-upload needed.

Open Chart Reader settings and scroll to Import Pattern Keeper progress. It brings completed stitches and parked threads into the matching chart — parked threads come back in the corner Pattern Keeper had them in. The file is read on your device and is not kept in your account, so keep your own copy.

Yes. Pinch or scroll to zoom, and pan around the chart to focus on the section you are stitching with no loss of clarity.

Yes, the chart reader has an edit mode which allows you to change the colour on individual stitches - very useful for cleaning up that pesky "confetti".

Yes, much as we hate to mention "frogging" and cross stitch in the same sentence, you can also work your progress in reverse and it will change your selection back to "unstitched".

Yes, it automatically adds your daily stitch count to a running logbook and you can choose to have it log your stitching time as well in the settings.

Yes. Your progress is saved automatically as you mark stitches complete.

Yes. Because your project is saved to your Flossom account, you can switch between desktop, tablet and mobile and continue where you left off.

Once a chart is loaded, Flossom can continue working while your connection is intermittent or offline. As long as you have opened the reader file on that device at least once, and you are logged in, your progress will sync across all devices again once you are back online.

Compatibility

Flossom runs in your browser, so it works on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iPad, iPhone and Android.

Yes. Flossom is tested with WinStitch and MacStitch colour charts, colour-and-symbol charts, monochrome symbol charts and Pattern Keeper-compatible exports. Flossom has been tested across a wide range of pattern generators - see our list for compatible software.

Yes. Pattern Keeper-compatible PDFs exported from most generators are supported as long as they are in the original output format and have not been altered or flattened.

Yes. As well as PDFs, Flossom can open OXS chart files directly — no PDF needed.

Yes. Flossom handles colour-only charts, colour charts with symbols, and black-and-white symbol charts.

Privacy & ownership

No. Your uploaded PDF is not modified. Flossom creates its own chart representation for the Reader.

No. Patterns you upload are part of your private projects and are not visible to other users.

No. Uploading a PDF to use with the Reader does not add it to the public Flossom pattern library.

Not at the moment. Flossom needs the original PDF exported from charting software. Photographed, scanned, flattened or image-only PDFs cannot be reliably read. We are working on supporting more PDF types in future. Flossom will notify you before it attempts to open your chart whether it is compatible or not.

Your pattern stays your pattern

The Flossom Chart Reader is designed for stitchers to use patterns they legitimately own. Importing a PDF into your project does not automatically make that pattern public or add it to the Flossom pattern library.

Ready to put away the highlighter?

Open your PDF pattern in Flossom and stitch from one interactive chart.

Try the Chart Reader free for 14 days — no payment details required.

Your trial only starts when you mark your first stitch.

Flossom Pro is $14.99/year after your trial if you want to keep using the Reader.

Explore Flossom Pro