Looks darn good to me! Practice does make perfect, though. The more you try long and short, the better you'll be at it.

I think you did great myself.

Thanks Jane,

The part where I felt experience helped was the lower outer edges of the rectagle - introducing the new colours as it progressing down. It something that's really impossible to describe - add an occasional small stitch, then more and more, til you're stitching entirely in that colour. (there, I described it!)

Glad to see you had the energy to get started -- it looks great!