Enter your canvas size, mesh count, and the coverage percentage of each color — get exact skein counts to buy, per color, with a waste buffer.
| Color name | % of canvas | Swatch |
|---|
Fill in your canvas details and color coverage above — results update instantly.
Start with the area of each color in square inches, multiply by 1.5 to get yards for basketweave, add a 10–20% buffer, then divide by your skein's yardage and round up. For a 10 × 10 canvas (100 sq in) stitched entirely in one color of DMC Retors Mat (11 yd skeins): 100 × 1.5 = 150 yd raw; add 15% buffer = 172.5 yd; divide by 11 = 16 skeins. This calculator handles all of that automatically per color.
The 1.5 yd/sq in figure holds when you are using the correct thread weight for your mesh. Where mesh count matters is in thread selection: finer mesh (18+) may require two strands of a thinner thread (like DMC stranded cotton), which doubles yardage. Use the "Strands in needle" field to account for this. Fragmented designs also use more thread per area due to start/stop waste regardless of mesh.
Common thread skein sizes: Tapestry wool or DMC Retors Mat — 10 m (~11 yd). Paternayan Persian wool — 40-yd skein (also sold as 8-yd cuts). Silk & Ivory — 84 yd. DMC stranded cotton — 8 m (~8.75 yd). Vineyard Silk — 10-yd card. Always verify on your actual label — the calculator lets you type any yardage in the skein field.
Hold the canvas at arm's length and assess each color area visually. Background colors typically take up 40–60% of a canvas; accent details may be 2–10% each. You can also sketch the canvas on grid paper, count squares for each color, then divide by total squares. The percentages must sum to 100% for an accurate total — the calculator shows you a running total and flags any discrepancy.
Yes — always buy background colors from the same dye lot in one purchase, and get slightly more than the minimum. Dye lots differ between batches even in the same colorway. The waste buffer in this calculator helps, but for large background areas, consider adding one extra skein beyond what the calculator suggests. Over-dyed and space-dyed threads vary most between lots — buy generous amounts of those.
Both use approximately the same thread per square inch for the face of the canvas — about 1.5 yd/sq in. Basketweave creates a more stable, warp-friendly backing and is preferred for large areas. Continental stitch can distort the canvas but is fine for small areas. Half-cross stitch uses less thread on the reverse but leaves canvas less well covered; this calculator assigns it 1.8 yd/sq in since the front coverage requires more passes on fine mesh.