My Wee Bird Scissor Fob

I have a new "first" to share - my first scissor fob. I love this little bird - I think of him as my bluebird of happiness. His finishing was not without drama. It was really hard to pick up the backstitches in an even way, and his edges don't bear close scrutiny. And the floss I was using for the edges broke on two corners while I was going around. Is floss the best thing to use? It was a double strand but didn't seem that strong. I have seen perle cotton mentioned but am not sure if I should use this, or if so, what size. Any advice?

Freebie (no longer available)

Now for my next project (Gingerbread Cottage is still poking along but I'm trying to spice up my stitching with other things too). I'm going to attempt my first needleroll for the Monthly Finishing Challenge. I found a chart I like and bought the floss today at A.C. Moore after church (I also bought one of those Olfa cutting mats with a 50% off coupon -I needed it, right?) There are some good instructions for how to make them on Focus on Finishing, but one thing I'm not sure of is how much material to leave at the edges of the design. I know I have to have enough to make the French seam down the side but I'm not sure if there is a standard. Does anyone have some tips? Thank goodness for this community of more experienced stitchers - who knows where I'd be without you?

Note to self: now that you are a member of the Monthly Finishing Challenge blog, remember that your own blog is listed second on the Blogger dashboard, not first. Do not publish your personal blog posts to a group blog!