Seed of life hand embroidery pattern

Easy · 3 colors · 3 kinds of stitch

Seed of life: preview of the stitched design

This is the seed of life: seven circles of one size, six set round the first so that each passes through the middle of its neighbors, inside a double ring. The circles are back stitch, crossing one another as the figure requires, the two rings are stem stitch, and a French knot marks the middle and each of the twelve points where circles cross.

Size and details

Easy. Simple stitches in three colors.

3 colors of floss and 3 kinds of stitch, all of them line stitches and knots:

The stitched size, by hoop
Hoop	Inches	Centimeters
3 in (8 cm)	1.5 × 1.5 in	3.8 × 3.8 cm
4 in (10 cm)	2.3 × 2.3 in	5.8 × 5.8 cm
5 in (13 cm)	3.1 × 3.1 in	7.9 × 7.9 cm
6 in (15 cm)	3.8 × 3.8 in	9.7 × 9.7 cm
8 in (20 cm)	5.4 × 5.4 in	13.7 × 13.7 cm

In a 3 inch hoop the French knots are drawn smaller than about 2 mm (a little over 1/16 in). Use one strand of floss for them there, or choose a larger hoop.

The pattern is drawn inside a circle about half an inch (1.3 cm) smaller all around than the hoop.

What you need

DMC 3809 Very Dark TurquoiseSeven circles
DMC 336 Navy BlueOuter rings
DMC 3852 Very Dark StrawKnots

The floss is six-strand cotton; the stitch guide says how many strands to use. You also need a hoop, an embroidery needle (a size 7 to 9 suits two or three strands) and plain cotton or linen fabric. To frame the piece in its hoop, cut a square 3 inches (8 cm) wider than the hoop: a 9 inch (23 cm) square for a 6 inch hoop.

Stitch guide

Back stitch 2 strandsSeven circles
Stem stitch 2 or 3 strandsOuter rings
French knot 2 strands, two wrapsKnots

Getting it onto your fabric

The PDF holds the pattern twice at actual size: once as drawn, and once mirrored for an iron-on transfer pen. Print it at 100% with scaling off and check the one-inch square (25.4 mm) with a ruler before you trace. How to transfer a pattern explains tracing, carbon paper and the other ways. The files are under Downloads.