More OPI

Working away this week on two projects: The Japanese Taupe Quilt and a "new" one -- a table runner.  The mother of my manager at The Shop bought a kit for an appliqued runner a few months back.  The kicker is, she doesn't quilt.  She just loved the runner...so she "commissioned" me to make it up for her, telling me to take my time.  I decided that it would be a good project to tackle while my brain is working on my next 15 x 15 piece.

The pattern is "Blessings Runner" from The Quilt Patch Pattern Company, and it was fully kitted except the batting and backing.  I washed all the fabrics last week -- even the small pieces -- and spent several hours yesterday tracing the patterns onto fusible web, fusing them, and cutting them out.  By early afternoon, I had the runner laid out on my ironing board:

So far today I've done all the fusing, and have begun to machine applique the piece, using black thread and a simple blanket stitch for that 'country' feel.

It's just fussy enough to sharpen my machine applique skills.  I found that if I sat doing the applique at the machine for too long, as I began to feel it in my shoulders.  I think I need to relax a bit; I expect I'm tensing up because I want it to be just right.

And there's more:  I'm having a bit of a tough time appliqueing dark-against-dark fabrics, even with my standing daylight lamp on over my left shoulder.  Hmmm...old age rearing its ugly head!

Ah well...I will persevere!  Now...before I stretch and walk to the Post Office for the mail, I'll link this up to WIP Wednesday at The Needle And Thread Network.  See you later!