The pattern for this is called the 10-Minute Table Runner.  This was my first one and it took me 37 minutes.  I could tell I didn’t do it right because I couldn’t get it to turn out like the example without adding in three or four steps.  The next day, I showed it to Shelly, who had sewed a few some time ago.  She couldn’t figure out what I had done wrong, either.

Step one: follow the instructions . . .

I tried it again the next night and it only took me about 20 minutes. I still did it wrong and still didn’t know why. I left it in its perwhacky state and took it to work to show Shelly. Fortunately for me, Shelly sewed a couple that night as well and remembered how to do it correctly.

My problem was that I didn’t follow the directions, exactly. (Surprise!) I managed to do everything as it should have been through the step where I ironed the tube. The next step was to “fold the tube in half and sew.”  Seems simple enough now, doesn’t it?  What I did instead was to open it up and then fold it in half.  That meant that when I sewed it, the seam was on the outside.  All I had to do was iron it and fold it in half with the middle (showcase) fabric on the outside.  How hard can it be? Can I say “Operator Error?”  

A 15-minute table runner

Ah ha!  That night, there I was in front of my machine yet again sewing a table runner, this time without adding any extra steps.  It takes me about 15 minutes to make one, but at least it is presentable.