FINISHED NEEDLEWORK: Mistletoe Pincushion

Chart is "Kiss a bit: Squareology" by Hands on Design/Just Another Button Co.

On hand dyed charcoal Aida (no source on the Aida, it was kitted with the pattern, button and floss)

Finished in a 3 3/4" Round pincushion base by Sudberry House/Item #1574.  Finished as per the instruction that came with the pincushion base.   (No in-progress shots of the finishing.  The directions on Sudberry pieces are quite detailed.)

My only additional suggestions are 1) when doing the first running stitch, about half way around, shorten your stitches for an inch or so.  2) cut a bit generously when trimming back your ground.  I cut at about a half inch instead of a quarter and was still concerned about fraying. 3)when starting the second running stitch, start where your stitches are shorter in the original pass.  Offsetting the two rounds of gathering stitches will make it easier to gather the ground fabric easily.  4) use surgeon's knots to secure your gathering threads.   5) the piece will be loose in the tray if you pull it tight against the matboard base.   I used a chunky boucle yarn to fill in the gap, lightly glued.

My photos of this project are not quite from straight above, so the needlework looks a bit off center.  In real life, it's quite 'square with the world' and centered nicely.