Hobbyware Pattern Maker Software For Windows, Version 4 - 72593

This program is amazing! So many intricate details you can add and adjust! Perfect for anyone serious about stitching or hobbyists. It comes with preloaded patterns too. It takes a while to adjust to if you've never used a prism like it but it's very professional.

I had this software (or something very similar) years ago and I loved it. Cross stitch kits are OK, but I like more realistic patterns and with this you can turn any picture into a pattern. I'm using Windows 10 and have only come across one problem...I can't open up a saved file through the file menu in the program. No big deal though, I just go to the file first and it opens the program. It's simple to edit the patterns and add text. I'm making a picture of our new home to hang in the foyer with our name and established date.

This software is on a DVD but you could also download it from their website if you computer doesn't have a DVD reader. Personally I like the idea of having my own DVD at home as a backup. The software works fine on my Windows 7 laptop. I plan to give it a try on my Windows 10 computer too. The program works well for any graphed project design not just counted cross stitch. Although you can design with actual looking stitches, you can also design with plain colored squares too. The software has hundreds of colors available and you can print your charted designs on your printer in several ways, color, black and white, as solid blocks, as symbols or as stitches. The website has made updates, upgrades, and a user manual available to download. I wish the manual had been included but all you get is the installation booklet. If they'd included a paper users manual in the box, I'd have given them 5 stars.

The cheaper, "casual crafter" version is a pain the rear. When you're creating your own patterns it's fine, but if you're importing a picture it takes forever to tinker with it til it looks decent. If you find a free pattern online and want to add it to a pattern you're creating (for a border, or a particular element) the grid lines never match up with their tool and it ends up looking funky, I tried for about an hour before giving up and recreating the stitches one-by-one by hand. Changing thread colors is ridiculously difficult, there's no option to say, change all the black stitches to red, or change the blue stitches to a lighter/darker blue. You have to change them one at a time (it's like paint, the fill option only fills what's touching, so if you have a diagonal line you have to do it all individually). Furthermore I like to pull up the patterns on my tablet while I'm stitching instead of printing out a bunch of pages, and it's almost impossible with this software. It doesn't let you save it as anything but a pattern file or .xms, I literally had to screenshot the whole thing, paste it back together in Paint, and convert that to a PDF to get it on my tablet. It was a pain. It's okay for pattern creation but the user interface is clunky and old-fashioned. None of the commands and options are intuitive, you have to read the directions thoroughly multiple times to get the hang of it. I do like the options to mirror and copy/paste portions of it, though, which is helpful for creating borders. The fonts are nice and there are lots of options depending on whether you want to backstitch, cross stitch, or even use beads.

I purchased this item in order to make graphs from which to crochet items. I really love it. I am currently making a stadium blanket and used the Pattern Maker to create the logo from my granddaughter's college to crochet in the center of the blanket. It's a great product and I HIGHLY recommend it.

That is how good it is. Super easy to use, well-priced, and you can make pretty whatever pattern you want. AND you can old modify the numbers of color in the piece, size -- everything. My only wish would be that they would make a version for Macs. But I am aware this is a pipe dream.

Now I have tried making a couple of patterns with the jpg files I had been collecting before I received this Pattern Maker. It works great. It's not like the results come back out completely the same as the images but I guess that's the beauty of cross stitching. I'm just slowing enjoying making new patterns with new images even though I know I 'm not going to able to stitch all the patterns I'm making now. But it's just so worth the $45!

delivery was spot on- product was perfect - alreay using it and very happy with it - thank you very much.