Privacy Policy | Cross Stitch Library

This Privacy Policy explains how Cross Stitch Library ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, and protects information when you visit this website.

Information We Collect

We do not require account creation, and you do not need to give us any personal information to browse or download patterns. Personal information only reaches us if you choose to provide it — for example, the name, email address, and message you enter in our contact form. We also automatically collect standard technical information, such as your approximate location, browser type, device type, and pages visited, through the analytics tool described below.

Log Files

Like most websites, our hosting provider automatically records standard log file information for every visit: IP address, browser type, internet service provider, date and time stamp, referring/exit pages, and sometimes the number of clicks. This information is not linked to anything that personally identifies you. It's used only to analyze trends, administer the site, monitor for abuse, and gather aggregate demographic information — not to track any specific individual.

Cookies and Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand which patterns and pages are popular, so we know what to make more of. Google Analytics uses cookies and similar technologies to collect information such as your IP address, browser and device information, and the pages you visit on this site. Your IP address is anonymized before it is stored. This data is processed by Google in accordance with the Google Privacy Policy.

We also use Microsoft Clarity to see how visitors use the site — for example where people click, how far they scroll, and where they get stuck — so we can fix confusing parts. Clarity uses cookies to group the pages of one visit together and records anonymized interactions (mouse movement, clicks, scrolling, and the page layout). Text you type into forms is masked and not recorded. This data is processed by Microsoft in accordance with the Microsoft Privacy Statement; see also how Clarity uses cookies.

A banner appears on your first visit disclosing this use of cookies, with a link back to this page for more detail. If you're visiting from the European Union, the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, the banner asks you to Accept or Decline: analytics only run if you accept, and nothing is tracked if you decline. You can change your choice at any time with the "Cookie settings" link at the bottom of every page. Everywhere else, the banner is a notice you close with "Got it". Either way, your browser stores a small note (in local storage, not a cookie) so the banner isn't shown again; it never leaves your device. You can find general information about how Google uses data from sites that use its services at google.com/policies/technologies/partner-sites.

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, or by adjusting your browser's cookie settings to block third-party cookies. Blocking cookies may affect other websites you visit but will not prevent you from browsing or downloading patterns here.

Advertising

This site does not currently display third-party advertising. We may display ads in the future through one or more third-party advertising networks. If and when ads are added, these networks and their partners may use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this or other websites. Their use of advertising cookies enables them and their partners to serve ads based on your visit to this site and/or other sites on the internet.

Once advertising is active, you will be able to opt out of personalized advertising through the ad settings page of the network serving the ads, or through industry-wide advertising opt-out tools. We will update this section with any additional detail required before enabling ads, and will not enable ad serving without first reflecting it here.

Third-party ad networks use technologies such as cookies, JavaScript, or web beacons in the ads and links that appear on our pages, and these are sent directly to your browser by the ad network — automatically receiving your IP address in the process. These technologies measure ad effectiveness and personalize the ads shown to you across the websites you visit. We have no access to or control over the cookies used by third-party advertisers. This Privacy Policy does not cover any other advertiser's or website's use of cookies; consult each advertising partner's own privacy policy for details on their practices and opt-out instructions.

Your Cookie Choices

Most browsers let you refuse or delete cookies through their settings. Refusing cookies may limit some functionality on this and other sites but will not prevent you from downloading patterns. Because this is a static website, no cookies are required for the core function of browsing and downloading patterns — only for analytics and (in the future) advertising, as described above.

Fonts and Other Services

Some files this site needs, such as text fonts and the tool that creates pattern PDFs, are delivered by third-party content delivery services. To deliver these files, those services receive your IP address and browser information, as with any website request. They don't set cookies for this purpose.

Pattern Downloads

Pattern PDFs are created inside your own browser. The pattern name you type and the settings you choose (page size, colors, and so on) are not sent to us or stored anywhere. When a PDF is created, our analytics tool records which pattern was downloaded, so we can see which designs are most popular — it does not record the name you typed.

Contact Form

Our contact form is processed by a third-party form-delivery service, which forwards your submission to us by email. This service does not require you to create an account, and we do not use form submissions for marketing. Data you submit is handled according to that provider's own privacy policy while it is in transit to us.

Third-Party Links

Our site may link to other third-party websites (for example, thread or fabric brands mentioned in a pattern); we are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites.

Your Choices and Rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, or delete personal information we hold about you (for example, a message you sent us through the contact form), or to object to its use. To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the Contact page.

If You Are in the European Economic Area or UK (GDPR)

If you access this site from the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, we act as the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. Our legal basis for processing it depends on the context:

Where you've given us consent — for example, by submitting the contact form;
Where processing serves our legitimate interests, such as understanding site usage through analytics and keeping the service running securely; or
Where we need to comply with a legal obligation.

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law. You have the right under the GDPR to request access to, correction of, or erasure of your personal data, to restrict or object to our processing of it, and to request a copy of it in a portable format. You can object to analytics at any time by blocking cookies in your browser settings or by installing the analytics opt-out browser add-on linked above. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

If You Are a California Resident (CCPA/CPRA)

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the CPRA, California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected about them, to request deletion of that information, and to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information, where applicable. This site does not sell personal information for money. Cookie-based analytics services and, in the future, advertising services may be considered "sharing" under California law because they involve cross-context behavioral advertising technology; you can opt out of this using your browser's cookie controls or via the opt-out options in the "Cookies and Analytics" and "Advertising" sections above. We do not knowingly sell or share the personal information of minors under 16.

Children's Privacy

This site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, particularly if we add new features like advertising. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please visit our Contact page.