Needlepoint MakerThe problem behind the product
Finding the right painted canvas is part of the fun of needlepoint, but sometimes the desired subject is personal: a pet, a home, a memory, or a small image that does not exist as a commercial design. The first version of Needlepoint Maker was built to translate those images into a manageable grid without requiring specialized design software.
The product later began receiving thousands of visits from people looking for the same thing. That changed it from a private helper into a public tool, but the product still follows the original constraints: it should be approachable, preserve user control, and respect the privacy of personal photos.
What the tool does
Needlepoint Maker resizes a photo to the chosen canvas dimensions, reduces it to a practical palette, creates a color-coded grid, and saves the project in the browser. Stitchers can edit individual colors, export the chart, and mark squares as complete.
The converter currently supports 12 and 18 mesh, custom dimensions, project presets, PNG and CSV exports, and local progress tracking. Printable PDFs, real thread matching, and pattern cleanup are being evaluated through user feedback rather than assumed.
How the product is developed
The free workflow remains the foundation. Anonymous product events show whether visitors reach conversion, export a pattern, or use progress tracking, but those events do not contain photos, filenames, grids, or project contents. Feature prompts and written feedback help decide which improvements are worth building next.
What “private in your browser” means
The image conversion happens with browser canvas APIs on the visitor's device. Saved projects use that browser's local storage. The backend receives only tightly allow-listed product events and feedback a visitor intentionally submits. The privacy page explains the boundary in detail.