Charting the design was a five step process:

1. Selecting the number of shades to use within a given scene.
2. Programming a unique symbol and color for each selected shade in my cross-stitch design program.
3. Laying a clear grid on top of a picture of the scene. I had various sizes of grid and I would use the one in which the number of squares on the grid was equal to the total number of stitches required for the scene.
4. Programming the appropriate symbol(s) for each square in the chart.
5. Selecting the DMC thread colors that would be used for each color in the scene.