The fabric is a tapestry-type.  This causes the cardinals to appear a bit out of focus, but that is the nature of the fabric and not a design flaw.  The pattern is striking and quite pretty.  Because there are birds down the length of the runner, a centerpiece can be placed on top of the runner without losing the beauty of the design.  The tassels on the end are quite nice, too.  They hang loosely (not stiff at all) which looks great when it hangs off the edge of the table.  The edges of the runner have a metallic (gold) thread which adds to the beauty of this table runner.  I purchased this item after Christmas, so I have to wait for several months before I will get a chance to see how pretty it looks on my table (sigh).

Pros: Beautiful design, well made