Sometimes the simplest design elements are the most effective. Think of the Nike swoosh: a curved line that communicates speed and skill and is instantly recognizable all over the world. These seeds may not ever be that famous, but they are a beautifully simple and very effective way of filling the seeded leaf shape.These little ovals fill the shape of the bottom leaf perfectly and give the impression of seeds. They're the right weight to balance all the shading and stem stitch. Anything lighter in texture would be lost and anything heavier would make the whole piece too bottom heavy.Working these seeds was quick and easy. I didn't attempt to outline each seed with split stitch. Well, that's not entirely true - I did attempt it for three stitches and then gave it up as a bad idea. The oval shapes are too small to make a smooth outline.I did pad them however. I learned my lesson about small satin stitched shapes when I worked the yellow marguerite on the Floral Bed Cover without padding the shape first and it looked so awful. I was NOT going to make that mistake twice. The padding is stitched horizontally in each seed with the end stitches being the shortest to mimic the oval shape.The satin stitch on each seed is worked from the middle to the left and then the middle to the right. As the vertical stitches move towards each edge of the seed they get slightly shorter which is what gives them the oval shape. One of the things I like best about padded satin stitch is the raised profile of the shape. When I take a photo from just above the fabric, the texture is wonderful - a bit like the cobbled street that is outside my classroom window!Can you think of a simple but effective design? If you can, please share it with us!