Style My Home: Make Your Own Carpet Runner

One of the first major DIY projects I did was rip out the original carpet in my living room, dining room and hall and install hardwood flooring. It was a big project but well worth the result. It did, however, create a problem with my stairway, which was completely covered with that same old drab grey carpet. So there I had it; another project begging to be started.
I needed an inexpensive way to update my stairs and I've always loved the look of runners, so I set to work and removed all the carpet, sanded and painted the builder stairs, and refinished the handrail, posts and spindles. And there it all sat for a very long time. I'm too embarrassed to tell you how long, so I won't!
Well, I was 'encouraged' recently to finally get it done and set about looking to find some sort of remnant runner that would do the trick. But, any remnant that was remotely long enough, was pricey and your typical decorative, floral pattern, which is not what I was after.
I realized pretty quickly that I was going to have to make something up on my own. So off I went to find a carpet remnant. I was lucky enough to get my hands on one for $50 (talked him down from $70--not bad, huh?) Then I really hit the jackpot and came across a discount fabric and notions store and got corded pillow trim to do binding for 50 cents/yrd!!
The total cost to complete my runner (enough to cover 11 steps) was $61, including 'no-slip' sheets cut to go on each step.

Here's how I did it:

Buy a remnant large enough to cover your stairs, keeping in mind that you can have seams under the step, at the top of the riser, if needed.

Cut the remnant into strips the appropriate width (I went with 26").

Low pile and berbers work best for runners and make installation easier because they aren't too bulky.
Take the time to make sure your cuts are straight by drawing a cut line to follow on the back of the carpet.