Slice done

The slice if finished. I started by laying down the grass and then row after row of pieced shingles. After which, I didn't like the fabric I had chosen for grass. Replaced the grass with bright green solid fancy fabric (not sure what it is) then overlaid it with a melange of threads, ribbons, yarns in shades of green done with Solvy. I did a simple quilting stitch in the ditch by following the lines of the shingles. It's a little rough but looks great. I just finished squaring it and there's plenty of wiggle room to get it down to the 6.5" finished size.
Ta da!

So far what I've done this week

Monday after work, I went to Baycrest to meet up with Marilyn and Annabell and her husband. Saw the mezuzah exhibit. Very nicely displayed. Some of the pieces were outstanding, a wide variety of techniques and ideas. One was, surprisingly, "chalushes" but I will not elaborate. We also went up to see the "Pardes" banners. Wow.
Tuesday -- nada.
Wednesday, I stopped in at Fabricland and bought some fabrics for the slice.
Thursday -- nada.
But this morning, waking up at 5 and trying to stay in bed until at least 6, I had a few ideas. So I jumped up and began piecing. That old adage about the first cut being the hardest is so true. But once I get started, I'm usually on a roll.
I put down the grass, and did the bottom two rows of cedar shingles. So now I know where I'm going, I hope to get it finished this weekend, errands permitting.

Small steps

Slice quilt -- I made a template on freezer paper of the cedar shingles. I had thought of using recycled pant hems, courtesy of Zev, but the colours are too dark. Since the predominant colour appears to be light grey, I may just go into Fabricland and purchase something. The total size is 6.5 inches X 24 inches -- how much fabric would I need? A few 10 cm. strips should be fine. I am debating now whether to do raw edge or pieced. I guess it will depend which fabrics I use.

Circle collages -- On the design wall but not speaking to me yet.

I may or may not get together today with IJQ visitors from Australia. I won't be available until after work (3 p.m.) and am not sure what their schedule is.

New Year -- New Start

I did finish Jojo's chuppah in time (the night before...) in spite of "interruptions" i.e. surprise visits of Inbal with baby Amit and Rotem. Since I finished the chuppah (the wedding was September 6th), I have not been in my studio. A bad cold a slight depression when the kids left, yada yada.
But it is a new year and time to get cracking on new things. Granted commitments from last year but new nevertheless.
Two of those commitments are related to FibreArts Toronto. We're doing a slice quilt and the slices were to have been completed already. I haven't started. So I've got to get moving on that. I just have to figure out if the pant hem materials I have will work.
Also we each have to do new pieces for our November library show. Since inspiration hasn't really hit, I'm going to be doing a recycled fabric triptych collage. I will use the embroidered sheer fabric removed from Jojo's chuppah perimeter and the three circles I started on for grounds for change, fuse some fancy fabrics and trims, a little machine serpentine stitching over them, some beading and embroidery, and hopefully have something to make the pieces work together. I know, not terribly original but I can claim that I'm working in a series.
We are going to New York at the end of October and then Israel mid-November so I've got to get back to a routine of an hour before work and an hour after if I want to complete things on time.
And wouldn't it be nice if I could finish "Marty's Ties" so I can take it to Ruthie?
Off to stitch.