I'm like some others here who don't enjoy the tedious part of applique. If you want a crisp edge, probably the turn under method is recommended but, if you want quicker, I'd go for the fusible and a machine stitched edge. Like you, my experience is that the satin stitch is a bit stiff. My thought is that a table runner probably won't be washed as much as a baby quilt or even place mats so perhaps fraying may not be so much of a consideration. Could it be considered a future design feature?