The instrutions I had said to cover the stitched holes with another layer of paper/card - there is a range of decoupage sheete which match the templates. I found a peel off border is quite effective
HTH
I've made a couple. For the suspended part I cut 2 shapes and stick either side. For the outside edges, cover the inside of the card with paper, easy enough to cut out the right shape using the template or stick matching card behind.
Bookmarks