If you know how to use Photoshop, here you can find some help for making your own needlepoint patterns.

When I started working with Needlepoint Jazz-crow, I first created a pattern for it in Photoshop. I started with a photo of Jazz-crow, then I added a grid on top of it and then transferred the shapes and colors from the photo into a pattern. At the end of this article you can find my pattern as a zipped PSD file. You are free to use it as a base for your own pattern designs.

To make it easier to modify the pattern, I separated it into 11 layers. Here they are listed from bottom to top:

1. CC License BY-NC-SA. Please use this license if you share my work or build upon it .
2. Color palette. Here you can see how many different colors there are in the pattern.
3. Background color. This is the background color of the pattern (in this case ecru / natural white).
4. Edge color. If you will use a wooden canvas frame to hang your finished work  (like I did with my Needlepoint Jazz-crow and Needlepoint Robo), this is the area that extends over the edges of the frame (which is 2 cm thick). If you are not going to use a canvas frame, you can hide this layer.
5. Photo (replace this with your own photo). This is the picture I have used as the base of my pattern. You can use any picture you want, just scale it so that it fits inside the main grid (see 7).
6. Pattern (replace this with your own pattern). Here you can see how I have transferred the shapes and colors from the photo into the pattern. Every square in the grid (see 7) is one stitch, so use the 8px square pencil brush and fill each one them with one color.
7. Main grid. This is the main grid of the pattern, 92 x 92 stitches.
8. Edge grid. You will need this if you use a wooden canvas frame to frame your work (see 2).  If you are not going to use a canvas frame, you can hide this layer.
9. Seam allowance (with edges). This is the seam allowance you will need if you are using a canvas frame. If you will frame your work differently, count your seam allowance accordingly and hide this layer.
10. 10 x 10 grid. This will divide the grid into 10 x 10 stitch segments. This will make counting the stitches easier.
11. Stitches. These are the stitches that will be sewn on top of the work using perle cotton thread.

To say it short: replace layer 5 with your own image. Draw your own pattern on layer 6. Use layer 11 to add details to your work if necessary. If you are not using a canvas frame, you can hide layers 4, 8 and 9 (but you should leave a seam allowance according to the way you are going to use or hang the finished work). Leave everything else as it is.

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You can download the file here:
Needlepoint Jazz-crow pattern (PSD, zipped)

You must unzip (extract) the ZIP file before opening it in Photoshop.