Wow, I love that tapestry look, it really livens up the map. Although the thick black outlines seem a bit strong contrast to the background. Making them a tiny bit transparent might make this look more real (what I mean is like you can still see the texture through the red labels).

As for your question about scales, it would be useful information for those who don't know how big the planet is. But if the map is supposed to represent something made by the inhabitants of the world, then it comes down to the queston of whether they would have included a scale. Oh, and since this is the entire world map, the biggest islands should count as continents.