Aime Cox of aimecx.com originally wrote this super sweet post on how to do free Pokemon cross stitch patterns yourself online. Not only is it a great guide, but it uses Porygon as an example! However, if you just want a quick Pokemon pattern, I have free Pokemon cross stitch patterns too

I love Pokémon, nowhere near as much as I love Digimon but that might well be another post. My boyfriend Alex also loves Pokémon, probably more than I do and probably more than the non-nerd society thinks a 28-year old man should.

As I’m such a bitchin’ girlfriend, I decided to create a Pokémon cross stitch for Alex to make up for being a bit cruddy at chores, working all the time and worst of all, dual-screening during Masterchef. So, Project Porygon was born.

Project Porygon!

Before I get started, I must mention that there are some alternatives available, Makibird-Stitching on DeviantArt has created some spiffing patterns that you can download for personal use.
You can also pay for templates from various Etsy stores, but I’m a much bigger fan of investing about 15 minutes to save myself some Dolla Dolla bill y’all.

In my previous post, I mentioned how searching for ‘sprites’ through Google images can help you find some really simple cross stitch patterns for beginners.

This method can also be used to create your own not-so-simple Pokémon cross stitch patterns.

1. Find a good source of Pokémon sprites

There’s literally a truck-load available. I like this one, and this one. Visit one of these links, and find an angle of a Pokémon that appeals to you. I chose the one in the triangle below.

Generation 4 was a strong one for Porygon.

Right-click, or drag and drop, to save the sprite to your desktop.

2. Convert the sprite to a JPG

Most of the sprites available are PNGs, the next program we’re going to use can’t cope with transparent backgrounds so it’s important to convert the file in order to have a white background.

If you’re on a Mac, you can open the file in Preview, select ‘Duplicate’ and then change the file format to JPG.

If you’re on a PC, you can do the same in MS Paint by opening the file and selecting ‘Save As’. Again, you need to choose ‘JPG’ from the drop-down.

You could also use these opportunities to trim any excess white space off the image – this will make your pattern easier in the long run.

3. Upload to My Photo Cross Stitch

This site is so cool considering it’s totally free. Visit this link and select ‘Advanced’ from the primary navigation at the top of the page.

Now, click ‘Select Image’ and upload your shiny new JPG. There’s a field to add the maximum number of thread colors. Be prepared to play around with this as each Pokémon is different. I find 5-8 is enough.

Pick colored boxes or symbols, or both, I like colored boxes but each to their own. Then simply select ‘Make Pattern’ et voilà! A beautiful pattern that you can download as a PDF, print or save it to a cloud drive for use on the road.

Porygon cross stitch final piece, still working out what to do with it.

And that’s it. Let me know in the comments how you got on with creating your own pattern!
 
Looking for something else? Check out our list of free cross stitch patterns for more.