[WIP] Am I doing this right? Finishing not lying flat.

I’m really enjoying my first cross stitch project, so much that I haven’t procrastinated finishing it!

The problem is that it doesn’t lay flat, and I expected it to in order to hang it on the wall (as the direction imply too). Is this expected? Can I put something heavy on it for a while or could that mess up the front?

The instructions I followed from my kit say to sandwich the batting and Aida in the hoop and tighten, then trim them to 1-2” around. Use a running stitch to secure and pull taut. Next step is to sew felt on the back.

Thank you, I love seeing all the amazing patterns here!