Discover seed stitch embroidery

Pretty up your breakfast table with Mollie Johanson’s jam pot cover embellished with simple seed stitch embroidery strawberries.

6 issues of Simply Sewing magazine for £14.99|Save 78%!

Published: May 24, 2020 at 8:00 am

Seed stitch embroidery is a fab technique for adding that extra little bit of detail that will really give your embroidery some character and charm. Here's the perfect project to help you discover seed stitch embroidery, stitch up some sweet strawberry pips and then turn your embroidery into a traditional jam pot cover!

You will need

  • Linen fabric: 30x30cm (12x12in)
  • Contrast fabric: 25x60cm (10x24in)
  • Stranded cotton: red, green, white and yellow
  • Matching thread
  • Basic sewing kit

Notes

Use a 5mm (1/4in) seam allowance.

You will need to download and print the free jam pot cover pattern template.

Jam pot embroidery pattern

You will need:

  • Linen fabric
  • Contrasting fabric
  • DMC stranded cotton
  • Matching thread
  • Basic sewing kit

Step 1

Working Seed Stitch

Each seed stitch is made from a pair of small straight stitches worked close together.

Step 2

Come up through the fabric where you want your stitch to start and take it back down a short distance away.

Step 3

Bring the needle back up, close to the start of the first stitch, but not in the same hole. Go back down close to the end of the first stitch, again not in the same hole.

Seed_Stitch_Embroidery_Jam_Pot_Cover_step1

Step 4

Scatter these pairs of stitches to fill any area where you want a small stitch that is thicker than a single straight stitch.

Seed_Stitch_Embroidery_Jam_Pot_Cover_step2

Making a jam pot cover

Embroidering the design

Step one

Download and print out the free jam pot cover template

Step two

Place the linen centrally on top of the strawberry motif and trace over it in pencil.

Step three

Embroider the design on the linen using three strands of stranded cotton.

Step four

Use back stitch for the outlines, seed stitch to fill in the strawberry and the blossom petals, and French knots for working the blossom centres.

Making the cover

Step one

Draw a 20cm (8in) diameter circle onto a piece of paper and cut it out.

Step two

Place this centrally on top of the embroidered linen and cut out.

Step three

Cut the contrast fabric using the circle template.

Seed_Stitch_Embroidery_Jam_Pot_Cover_step3

Step four

Pin the two circles right sides (RS) facing and sew together around the edge, leaving a 5cm (2in) turning gap.

Step five

Turn the circle RS out then fold the edges of the turning gap to the inside, keeping the curve of the circle, and press.

Step six

Slipstitch the opening closed with matching sewing thread.

Seed_Stitch_Embroidery_Jam_Pot_Cover_step4

Step seven

To decorate the edges, work a running stitch all the way around the edge using three strands of red stranded cotton. Step eight Work this 5mm (1/4in) from the edge and keep the stitches all the same length.

Seed_Stitch_Embroidery_Jam_Pot_Cover_step5

Making the tie

Step one

From the remainder of the contrast fabric cut a strip 2.5x60cm (1x24in) for the tie.

Step two

Turn the short edges under by 5mm (1/4in) to the wrong side (WS) and press.

Step three

Press the strip in half lengthwise and open out. Fold the long edges over to the WS so they meet at the centre crease and press.

Step four

Fold in half lengthways again and press to enclose all the raw edges.

Seed_Stitch_Embroidery_Jam_Pot_Cover_step6

Step five

Sew together down the length to hold the strip closed and neaten.

Step six

Place the embroidered cover on a jam jar and tie the strip around it into a bow.

Seed_Stitch_Embroidery_Jam_Pot_Cover