Remove the hand basting.

Bevel the seams by trimming the seam allowance of the inner pages to ¼".

Trim the piping seam allowance to 3/8".

Do not trim the seam allowance of the embellished piece. The three seams allowances will now lie smoothly, eliminating bulk when you turn the needlebook inside out.

Now clip the seam allowances just to but not through the stitching, so that they will lay flat when the needlebook is turned right side out. Make sure that you are clipping on the bias of the fabric, and not along the grain line. As you notice your clips being more aligned with the grain line, change the angle of your clips.