In counted cross stitching what is the stitch count?

When you see a counted cross stitch pattern you will see the stitch count in numbers. Many times it will say for example 140 h by 48 w. H is for Height and W for width.

To figure out the what your size will be, you divide the number of the stitches into the size of your fabric. Cross stitch fabric comes in six, seven, eight, ten, eleven, fourteen (the most common), sixteen, eighteen, twenty and 22 count. This means there are that many blocks per inch. So if you are working on a piece of Aida 14 you take 140 by 14 and your design will be ten inches tall and 48 divided by 14 will make it 4 inches wide. (Make sure you leave at least two and a half inches on each side so five inches total to the design for finishing or framing). Now if the fabric is ten count (ten squares per inch) then this same design would be 14 inches by almost 5 inches.