Acanthus leaf sample - completed

As this is just a sample piece I'm not making it up into anything, but I still want to finish it off nicely and put it on a background.  The first step towards that is to paint diluted PVA glue on the back:

It's still damp there so the colours look a little darker.

Once that had dried properly I then cut it out, which was a bit fiddly but OK:

I should say that the glue on the back is strong enough to hold the stitching together, but thin enough for the the embroidery to still be flexible; it's not at all stiff.

I then applied this to a cream silk satin background, then added a plain backing, just to cover the stitches and make it look neat:

Finished!

I like it - I'm pleased with how it's turned out.