STEP 1 Before starting to mount your work, make sure your stitching is clean. Trim any loose ends on the back of the design and wash it in lukewarm water with a little mild detergent. Rinse in cold water, but don't wring it out. Instead, lay it face down on a clean, fluffy towel and iron the back.

STEP 2 When your stitching is dry, lay it face up on a mat and place the card you are going to use over it. Move the card around until you are happy with the way the stitching appears in the aperture. When you are sure, place pins around the inside edge of the aperture to mark the position of the card.

STEP 3 Lift the card mount off again and trim your fabric to about 15mm (0.5in) away from the pins. This will leave enough fabric around the aperture for attaching the design to the card, without getting in the way of the card flaps.

STEP 4 Attach strips of double-sided sticky tape along each side of the aperture on the wrong side of the card. For oval and circular shaped apertures use smaller pieces of tape as shown in our illustration.

STEP 5 Peel off the backing from the double-sided tape and place the card back in position over the pins. Check it looks absolutely right before pressing down to secure firmly on the fabric.

STEP 6 Turn the card over and check which of the two flaps should be fold over the back of your stitching - it's easy to get this wrong and end up with the card opening the wrong way, so make absolutely sure. Attach strips of tape along each edge of the flap as shown, peel off the backing and press the flap down.