Tartan, when I made my poinsettia, I used fusible batting. I cut it to fit just inside the stitching line, laid it so that the fusible side would end up next to the side to be slit, and just lightly pressed the iron to about 2/3 of it. Then, after slitting the fabric and turning it, I pressed the whole thing and the fusible batting almost sealed the slit. Just FYI an easy way of doing this step. Thanks again for a wonderfully clear and concise tutorial.