How to Finish a Needlepoint Ornament Yourself (Without Sending It Away)

You spent forty hours stitching an ornament. Now a finisher wants $50 to $100 and three months to turn it into, well, an ornament. By which time it's no longer ornament season.

Self-finishing is the answer, and it's far less scary than the needlepoint internet makes it sound. This is the standard board-mounted method: the same approach professional finishers use.

What you need

• Your stitched piece, blocked (more on that in a second)
• Acid-free mat board (4-ply), from any art or craft store
• Thin batting, about 1/8 inch: polyester, cotton, or wool
• Backing fabric. A 6 x 6 inch square of good cotton covers an ornament-sized piece. This is the side everyone sees on the tree, so it deserves better than leftover muslin.
• Cording, about half a yard, store-bought or twisted from floss
• Tacky glue, pins, heavy-duty thread, and a needle. A curved needle makes the last step much easier.

One tip before you trim anything: if your design runs close to the edge, stitch an extra two or three rows of background around it first. A little stitching disappears around the sides when the canvas wraps over the board.

Step 1: Block it

Stitching pulls canvas crooked. It's physics, not failure. Dampen the back lightly, pin the piece square to a board, and let it dry fully. Overnight. Yes, really overnight. (A steam iron on the back, reshaping by hand, is the quick version.)

Step 2: Cut the boards and batting

Cut two pieces of mat board in your ornament's shape, about 1/4 inch smaller than the stitched area: one for the front, one for the back. Cut two pieces of batting to match.

Step 3: Trim the canvas, with relief cuts

Cut the unstitched canvas down to a 3/4 inch margin around the design. Then make small cuts from the outside edge in toward the stitching, stopping about 1/8 inch short of it, spaced roughly 3/4 inch apart. These relief cuts turn the margin into tabs that fold over cleanly. Skipping them is why first attempts pucker.

Step 4: Wrap the front

Lay the canvas face down, batting on top, board on top of that. Pull a tab over the board edge and pin it into the side of the board. Turn the piece 180 degrees and do the opposite side. Keep alternating sides so the tension stays even, and pull firmly. Canvas is strong, and the design needs to wrap the board's edge. Then glue each tab down to the back of the board with tacky glue and let it dry before removing pins.

Step 5: Wrap the back

Press your backing fabric, cut it 3/4 inch larger than the board, make the same relief cuts, and repeat the sandwich: batting, board, fold and glue the tabs. Fabric is more delicate than canvas. No tugging, just smooth.

Step 6: Join front and back

Glue the two halves together, wrong sides facing, leaving an unglued gap of about 1.5 inches at the top. The cording ends will tuck in there later. Weight it under a few books while it dries.

Step 7: Stitch the edge

With heavy thread and the curved needle, stitch around the edge where front meets back, drawing the two halves snug. It won't be perfectly invisible. Cording covers it next. Leave the top gap open.

Step 8: Cording and loop

Tuck one end of the cording into the top gap and pin. Run a short line of glue along the seam and lay the cording over it, working around the whole edge in small sections. Back at the top, form a hanging loop (about 3 inches), tuck the other end into the gap, glue, and stitch the top closed through the loop for strength.

Where people go wrong

Skipping the blocking. A crooked ornament stays crooked forever.

Skipping the relief cuts. Tabs fold; uncut margins pucker.

Thin backing fabric. Quilting-weight cotton or better. The back is half the ornament.

About that backing fabric

The backing is the part most tutorials ignore and most stitchers regret. A crisp cotton in a print you love turns the back of the ornament into a second front. The Liberty of London cotton squares in the shop are cut for exactly this kind of job.

Stuck mid-finish? Send a photo. Happy to troubleshoot.