Quilting: Not Just For Your Grandmother

Every summer, I try to take on a new "project" that I may or may not actually complete during my time off. I forget exactly what my project was last summer - which means I didn't complete it. Maybe it was to get all my summer work done in advance, or knit a complete sweater inspired by Mrs. Weasley. The point is, this summer, my last summer before the infamous College, I actually need to get this silly project done.

So of course what do I do? Go to Jo Ann Fabrics and buy a completely gorgeous but impractical steampunk fashion pattern for this complicated dress and corset. Because I'm definitely going to be able to make that in one summer...

To save myself from feeling like a complete failure, I also bought some very cute and soft flannel, and I'm going to try my hand at quilting! It can't be that hard - I have a sewing machine, so all I have to do is sew lots of straight lines, right?

Yeah no. That's what I thought and that was a lie. I got some quilting books out of the library and it's WAY more complicated than that. You have to cut identical sized pieces, or else pieces that line up somehow, and pin them together, and press them, and then sew them and then press the seams and then sew them the other way and then when that's all done you have to put it on the batting in a "quilt sandwich" and sew it to the backing and then sew allll over the top of it. And then put on edging.

What have I gotten myself into?

The end goal is to actually sell the baby quilts that I'm making. We're going to be craft-fairing this summer, so I actually have to get good at this. I have the attention span of a gnat but we're going to see how this works out!

Perhaps I will actually finish a summer project... (I don't think I've ever actually done that before, but I usually start about ten "Summer Projects" per summer.)

In other news, I'm going to be in Switzerland for the midnight release of the new Harry Potter movie. Which was super disappointing until I realized I might actually get a chance to go see Harry Potter in EUROPE. Which is quite thrilling in itself. If only I were going to the UK instead of to Switzerland, I could see the movie days before all you American people... Darn.