I have completed my duplicate stitches but
how much of a tail do I leave. Some cut the yarn flush with the fabric or do I leave about a 1/4 of an inch. Not sure what to leave behind when I have finished.
Thanks for helping
Terri

There is no "right" answer for this one.

I prefer to cut my tail after I have laundered or blocked the item. How close I cut that last bit of tail to my "fabric" depends upon whether this is a two-sided item or a garment with a definite right side/wrong side, and how "slippery" the yarn is.

I think the judges like to see them fairly short, but you definitely don't want any ends to pull loose or show through to the right side when the fabric gets a tug.

As KT said, the slipperiness of the yarn is a factor here -- you need to tuck in more length of tail with a yarn that is more likely to want to pull out.

I also agree with KT about clipping AFTER washing/blocking.