I used to be a stitcher for Design by Gloria and Pat (Precious Moments, etc). I really learned alot from them. Always do your fill in and then your outline. Also, when you stitch, always make sure your stitches on the back-side are vertical. When you are finished with one color, run your thread vertically instead of horizontally and you won't need to worry about them showing through. Just a few tips I learned and didn't know before.