100 Good Wishes Quilt

Calling all family and friends!!

While we are waiting for Emily to arrive home, we are collecting "squares" to make a 100 Wishes Quilt for her, and we request your participation in this project.

"What is a 100 Good Wishes Quilt?" you may be asking....let me explain:

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 100 people to contribute a single square patch of cloth. The 100 patches are sewn together into a quilt that contains the prayers, blessings, and good wishes from all the family and friends who contributed a piece of fabric. (For those of you that are familiar with the quilt, you may have noticed that I changed luck to prayers, and energy to blessings. I like those much better.) The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation. We would really love it if you would join us in this project and send us a square.

WHAT TO DO:

1. Select a fabric that you like, or that is meaningful to you that could work for either a boy or girl. It can be new or "used and meaningful" fabric. 100% cotton is best, as it washes and wears better. Please pre-wash the fabric so it has done all the shrinking it is going to do before you cut it.

2. Cut one 7" x 7" square and one 1" x 1" square. The smaller square should be attached to your "good wishes" message/card and is how your fabric will be identified within the quilt. If there are several members in your family, please feel free to send more than one square and wish (just please be sure to include the 1" x 1").

THE WISH:

1. Your wish and the way it is presented can be as simple or as elaborate as you want it to be. The wish might be a prayer, a favorite poem, a heart felt random thought or quote, or anything that strikes your fancy. Please remember to sign your wish and include your city and state. Also, if you would like, include why you chose the fabric (what it means to you). I will be making a scrapebook for Emily containing the wishes collected, so that when she gets older, she can see how much love went into this quilt.

I know everyone has very busy schedules, but if you could take a few minutes to help us create this wonderful keepsake, we would be forever grateful.

If you would like to participate, please e-mail me dawns@kc.rr.com and I will provide you our mailing address.

Thank you and may GOD bless you.