Introducing StitchWIP: The Cross Stitch App I Had to Make

I didn't come to cross stitch the way most people seem to. There was no grandmother teaching me stitches as a child. I never saw my mother cross-stitch. In fact I don't think I was ever around anybody that cross-stitched. I came to it the way a lot of us come to things — mostly by accident. Kind of like the saying "love finds you when you least expect it." Haha.

A little over a year ago, I was having a tough year. I work full-time in IT, but I'd been making traditional art as a hobby for a long time. For whatever reason I started putting pressure on myself and it took the joy out of it. You know that kind of perfectionism that turns something you love into something you dread? That was me. I still needed to make things though. I wanted to be creative, but I needed something I could do without all that weight.

So I ordered an embroidery kit off Amazon on a whim. Something different. Something new to learn where I know it's okay to "be bad at it". It was exactly what I needed. Something to do with my hands while doing other things like watching YouTube videos. Relaxing, low-stakes, almost meditative. I was hooked on the rhythm of it.

Then someone online mentioned cross stitch. My first reaction, honestly? That's for old ladies. The patterns I'd seen growing up were definitely giving "decorative pillow from 1980." But then I started seeing what people were actually stitching these days — modern designs, funny sayings, intricate patterns, pop culture references — and I had to try it.

I bought my first pattern, sat down, and immediately got it. It's like doing a puzzle. You already know what the finished picture will look like, but watching it emerge stitch by stitch feels like an accomplishment every single time. Every single stitch gives me that little hit of satisfaction — like checking something off a to-do list. Over and over again. I was completely hooked.

And here's the thing about perfectionism and cross stitch: there isn't that much to be precious about, at least not compared to traditional art. Essentially you just follow the pattern making X's and make sure the thread is crossing the same way each time. There's a right answer. That structure, which might sound limiting, was actually freeing for me.

But here's what nobody warns you about: cross stitch comes with a lot of stuff.

Fabric, floss, patterns, hoops, needles — and once you fall in love with it, you accumulate more of all of it, fast. I found myself with a growing stash and absolutely no idea what I owned, what I needed, or how to keep track of any of it.

I wanted to track my inventory so I'd stop buying duplicates. I wanted to calculate exactly how much fabric I'd need for a pattern and how many skeins I'd need before starting a project — not mid-stitch when it's too late. I wanted to log my time and stitch counts because, honestly, it's just satisfying to watch the numbers grow.

I couldn't find an app that did all of that in a way that felt good to use. So I made one.

StitchWIP is a cross stitch organizer built around the way stitchers actually work. Here's what you can do with it:

• Track your projects from first stitch to finish, with progress logging, photos, and notes
• Manage your stash — log your floss by color, code, and track exactly what you own
• Use the calculators to figure out how much fabric and thread you need before you start
• Set goals and track your stitching habits over time — daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly
• Log SALs (stitch-alongs) and manage parts, release schedules, and progress all in one place
• See your stats — total stitches, hours logged, projects finished, and more

My personal favorite? The Project Wheel. It's a fun tool to load all your projects into & spin when you can't decide what to work on next! Sometimes the best features are the ones you didn't know you needed.

StitchWIP is free to download with everything you need to get started. If you want to unlock advanced stats, unlimited projects, and more, StitchWIP Pro is a one-time $7.99 — no subscription.

I really wanted this to be something you pay for once and have.

I'd love to hear what you think. You can always reach me at support@stitchwipstudio.com, and if you enjoy the app, leaving a review on the App Store means the world.

Happy Stitching 🪡 Jessica