Here is a runner that has been through the mill. It was one of the first ones I tried with my bird group (I call it Under the Feeder)...actually one of the first runners I ever made...and it was very long. On my table the birds were covered by the end place settings, with a long stretch of unornamented cloth between. The edges were plain hemmed, and all together it just didn't have enough going on. It sat in my embroidery basket for over a year while I worked on other things, but it had enough promise to keep me from giving up on it entirely. Recently I discovered it again and decided to take action. I cut it in half and removed a big hunk of material to make it shorter. I thought I could do it without disturbing the mitred corners, but that was a vain hope. Because of the trimming of the mitred corners I didn't have enough fabric to turn another hem so I used bias tape to finish the edges and that turned out to be what it needed. The troubling part is how hard it was to get that tape on straight. I don't know how I could have taken more care, but I am not satisfied with the quality of my own work. I used a precisely cut piece of freezer paper to stabilize the fabric as I cut and sewed the edges, but it still looks all wobbly. Does anyone have any suggestions? I added the bird tracks at the end and now I think they are my favorite part.