Many of you know by know Steve and I are adopting another baby girl from China. We have completed all of our paperwork and now we are in the waiting stage. To keep busy during this time I have decided to take on a project of making a quilt and I need your help. I would like to invite you to participate in creating a "100 wishes quilt".
To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei, or 100 Good Wishes Quilt. It is a custom to invite friends and family to contribute a patch of cloth with a wish for the baby. Part of the patch of cloth goes into the quilt for the baby, and the other part of the cloth can go into a creative memory notebook with the wish for the child. The quilt contains the luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed a piece of fabric. The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation.
During the adoption for Maddie I did not make a quilt but I am now making a quilt for each of the girls. We are inviting all of our friends and family to take part in this project.
Here is what we would like you to do:
1) Choose any fabric 100% cotton that you like. Cut "2" 8 inch by 8 inch cotton fabric square.
2) Cut 1 to 2 inch fabric scrap piece of the same square material for the memory book. (this piece will go with the each wish
3) Write or type a wish/poem/ on acid free paper (preservation purposes) expressing your good wishes and heartfelt sentiments for the baby; The fabric will be used to make the quilt and the notes and the smaller pieces of fabric will be placed in a books for each of our daughters to be given when they are older.
Ideas for fabric: When selecting your fabric make sure it is 100% cotton and find something that is meaningful to you. If there are several members in your family, please fee free to send more than one good wish note and fabrics for each of the girls. In China, these quilts were originally made from the garments of family and friends surrounding the child with luck and good wishes.
Ideas for wishes: What would you wish for a little girl in her life? Happiness, faith, security, prosperity, fortune and courage. Make sure you sign your name on the wishes. The girls will not see there wish books containing the notes until they are older. It would be wonderful to receive all the fabric and wishes by June 30, 2007 so I can get busy making these quilts before we bring Kinsey home.
If you have more than one person in your family who would like to participate then please feel free to send more than one set of fabric square (one for each of the girls) and a wish (for each of the girls). Remember I need 100 blocks of fabric for each quilt. Children are welcome to contribute to this project:)
Thanks again for all the support. I know everyone has busy schedules, but I hope you will be able to take time to help me create this special keepsakes. This will hold allot of meaning to them when they get older especially since it incorporates part of her Chinese Heritage.
Once I get the fabric and wishes coming in I will start another blog showing all the fabrics and wishes.
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This wish comes with Love from Art, Tawny, and Xenia Rain 
