100 Good Wishes Quilt

A couple of months ago, I began a quilting project for Lexsi. I've become addicted to shopping for fabric and swapping quilt squares with fellow adoptive families and cannot seem to stop. Each day, the boys voluntarily (yes, that's right, they actually want to do it) go down to the mailbox in anticipation of new squishes (squares + wishes). THANK YOU to everyone who has already contributed!! This will most definitely be one special quilt!

We've already collected over 180 squares, and we haven't even gotten friends and family members involved yet. I'm pretty sure we'll have something more on the lines of a 300 Good Wishes Quilt. I'm thinking at this point I might make it reversible so we can use our quilt squares on both sides.

We've written a letter to our family and friends to invite their participation, but I must admit that I've been so busy sending out quilt squares for swaps that I haven't gotten around to mailing them just yet. I need to get on the ball. I'm posting it here on the blog so they can have a preview of it and for others who may need ideas for their letters.

Look in the near future for pictures of some of our fabrics and wishes!

Following is the letter we will be sending out to our family members and close friends:

Dear Family and Friends,

As many of you are aware, Don and I began the process several months ago to adopt a baby girl from China. I recently came across the tradition of the “Bai Jia Bei” or “100 Good Wishes Quilt.” To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in some parts of Northern China to make a Bai Jia Bei. When a baby is born, family and friends donate to the child’s mother fabric scraps from old clothing with a wish for the baby. She makes a quilt for the child from the scraps. It is said that the luck, energy, and good wishes from all of the family members and friends who contribute the fabric surrounds the child when she is wrapped in the quilt. The quilt becomes an heirloom, being passed down from generation to generation.

Although I’ve never quilted before, in the spirit of tradition, I’m going to give it a whirl. There are so many good reasons to make this quilt for our “Baby Sister.” We are hoping to find many ways to keep Baby Sister connected to Chinese culture. Another great reason is that our daughter will someday be able to see how much she was wanted and thought about even before she came into our family.

ABOUT THE FABRIC:
Please send an 8”x 8” square of pre-washed fabric. Any 100% cotton fabric will work, with the exception of flannel or stretchy knit. You may choose a fabric that has some kind of meaning to you or one that is merely something you like. You might want to use a scrap you have in your craft box, a piece cut from old clothing, or a newly purchased piece of material.

Collecting 100 squares may be a challenge. If each family member would like to contribute individually, that will help my effort. Just do not forget to add your good wish for each square.

ABOUT THE WISH:
On a 3x5 or 4x6 card, write your wish for our daughter-to-be. It can be anything - your hopes for her, a verse, thoughts on the adoption, a prayer, a poem, a favorite saying, or a line from a song. Don’t forget to include your name and relationship to her. Also, you will need to attach (with glue, staple, tie on, etc.) a small scrap (perhaps 1 to 3 inches) of the fabric you are contributing to the front side of the card. The cards will be placed into a special Good Wishes Memory Book which will later help identify who sent which fabric and what their wish was for Baby Sister.

The wish may be relative to the fabric, if you so desire. You could send a piece of fabric with musical notes and include “I wish for you a love of music” or a smiley face printed fabric and a wish for “a lifetime of happiness.” You get the idea…

We know everyone is super busy…and we appreciate the time you take to do this. We have no clue who our daughter is yet. She more than likely has not yet been born, but think of how special it will be for her later on to see how many people loved her before they even knew her! I want as many of our friends and family as possible to help create this quilt. Your continued love, support, and friendship will be symbolically woven into it.

Please send your fabric and wishes to the address below in the next couple of months, preferably by the beginning of August, so we can begin assembling the Bai Jia Bei. Please let us know if you have any questions, and feel free to pass this along to others who might be interested.

Love,
Wendy, Don, Jarred, Seth, and Caleb

P.S. Check out our blog at http://www.lovetolexsi.blogspot.com