Stitch guide · Fills
How to do a seed stitch
Seed stitch, also called seeding, is a light filling made of tiny straight stitches scattered in different directions, like grains of rice. Pack them close for a darker area and spread them out for a lighter one. Use it for soft shading, speckled texture and filling a shape without covering it completely.
- Level Beginner
- Also called Seeding
Use it in a pet portrait for…
- A speckled or freckled coat.
- Soft shading under the chin or along the belly.
- A light shadow under your dog, so the portrait doesn't float on the fabric.
How to do it, step by step
Each seed is one tiny straight stitch: up at 1, down at 2. Scatter them in every direction, closer together where you want it darker and farther apart where you want it lighter.
1 Odd numbers: come up from the back2 Even numbers: go down
- Come up inside the area you want to fill.
- Make a tiny straight stitch, about 1 to 2 mm long, and go down.
- Come up a short distance away and make another one, pointing a different way.
- Keep scattering stitches in random directions, spaced fairly evenly.
- To shade, pack the stitches closer where you want it darker, and spread them out where you want it lighter.
- For seeds that show from farther away, make them in pairs, side by side.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- The stitches line up in rows.
- Turn each stitch a different way, and avoid making a grid.
- Shadows on the front.
- Dark thread carried far across the back shows through light fabric. Keep the stitches near each other, or end off and restart for a new patch.
- Blotchy shading.
- Change how close the stitches are gradually, a little at a time.
- They look like dashes.
- Keep each stitch tiny. Longer ones read as a dashed line, not seeds.
How many strands?
One or two strands. One gives a fine, delicate speckle; two shows up more.
Embroidery floss comes as six thin strands twisted together. Cut a length from your fingertips to your elbow, pull out the strands you need one at a time, and lay them back together (DMC’s guide to stranded floss).
Questions people ask
Is seed stitch the same as seeding?
Yes. They're two names for the same stitch.
How do you shade with seed stitch?
Change how close together the stitches are. Closer looks darker, and farther apart looks lighter.
How long should seed stitches be?
Tiny. The Royal School of Needlework suggests about 1 to 2 mm each.
Is seed stitch good for beginners?
Yes. Every seed is just a tiny straight stitch.
Sources: Royal School of Needlework Stitch Bank: Seeding stitch