How to install Ink/Stitch
Ink/Stitch is an Inkscape extension, so there's an order to it. Here's the short version for each system — and how to skip the install entirely.
Ink/Stitch is an extension for Inkscape, so you install Inkscape first (version 1.0.2 or higher, ideally 1.3+), run it once, then install the Ink/Stitch package and restart Inkscape — you'll find it under Extensions > Ink/Stitch. It's free and works on Windows, Mac and Linux (Apple Silicon Macs also need Rosetta 2). If you'd rather not install anything, StitchFast runs in your browser with no Inkscape and no setup.
Step 1: install Inkscape
Ink/Stitch can't run on its own — it's an extension for Inkscape, the free vector editor. Download Inkscape from inkscape.org (avoid the Windows Store version, which is known to cause problems), install version 1.0.2 or higher (1.3+ recommended), and open it once so its extensions folder is created.
Skipping this step is the most common reason installs fail with an “extensions folder not found” error.
Step 2: install Ink/Stitch
Download the latest Ink/Stitch release (currently the v3.2 series). On Windows, run the installer and it points to the Inkscape extensions folder automatically. On Mac, run the package installer, or use Homebrew to install Inkscape and Ink/Stitch together. On Linux, use the deb, rpm or the install script.
Then restart Inkscape and look under Extensions > Ink/Stitch. If it's there, you're done.
Common snags
On Windows, antivirus software sometimes blocks the packed installer — add the Ink/Stitch extensions folder to your exclusions and reinstall. On Apple Silicon Macs, install Rosetta 2 first. And always make sure you've run Inkscape at least once before installing.
None of it is hard, but it's several steps across two pieces of software.
Or skip the install entirely
If the setup is more than you want, StitchFast needs none of it. There's no Inkscape, no extension and no configuration — it runs in your browser.
Upload an image, the AI digitizes it, and you download the stitch file, from £3.50. See how it compares on the Ink/Stitch alternative page.
FAQ
Installing Ink/Stitch — common questions
Yes. Ink/Stitch is an Inkscape extension, so Inkscape must be installed (and run once) before you install Ink/Stitch.
It's fairly straightforward, but it's a two-part process: install Inkscape first, then add the extension and restart Inkscape.
Version 1.0.2 or higher, with 1.3 or newer recommended. Download it from inkscape.org rather than the Windows Store.
Yes — StitchFast runs in the browser with no Inkscape, no extension and no setup.
More on Ink/Stitch
Everything else worth knowing
No install, no setup.
Skip Inkscape entirely — upload an image and download a stitch file in under a minute, from any device.
Open StitchFast