First batch!

So, I decided on a simpler quilt for such a massive project. This is going to be a nine-patch quilt with a cream or neutral colored background. That way, everyone who sends a fabric sample will have their very own special square. I think it's going to be really nice! In case you have no idea what I am talking about, here is a sample of one of the blocks-- look at the one in the middle:




And here are the first three fabrics that I have received:

This was given to me by Aunt Patty. She changed her mind about the fabric she wanted to contribute and I LOVE the new choice!! It is such a pretty Asian design and will look beautiful with the background fabric.


This was given by my mom. It is actually part of a dress that I used to wear when I was little-- I LOVED it. I was a bit of a girly girl and the colors suited me well! It's kind of bittersweet cutting up the dress and I have no idea about the quality of the fabric, but it means a lot to me.


This one was sent by my friend from high school, Chelsea. A few years ago we were reunited at our class reunion and I'm so glad! She sent me a blanket that she used when her little boy was a newborn.

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog that I have started to keep you updated on the progress of our 100 good wishes/prayers quilt for our soon-to-be daughter from China! I'll post here whenever a new wish comes our way or when I have made progress on the quilt itself. In the meantime, if you are not part of this, but would like to be, here is the letter I sent out asking for fabrics. I would love it if you would join us in wishing our daughter love, hope, peace, and joy in her life. Please feel free to put in the comments your email address and that you would like to participate (I will not publish your email address).
Be blessed!
Courtney

Dear Family and Friends,

While we are waiting for the arrival of our little girl from China, we are working on a project that we REALLY need your help with. We are creating something called a "100 Good 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 100 people to contribute a single patch of cloth. The 100 patches are sewn together into a quilt that 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.

We would love it if you would join us in this project. The idea of welcoming our daughter into our home with a quilt that represents the good wishes and prayers you are all sending her way is very special to us.

Here is what we would like you to do:
1. Choose ANY 100% cotton fabric that you like. It can be from clothing or from a fabric store. It just needs to be a design and color that you like.

2. If you are purchasing your fabric at a store, go to the cutting counter and ask for a ¼ yard of the fabric. If you are cutting from clothing, cut as large a patch as you can (fabric from the store is usually about 44 inches wide and ¼ yard is 9 inches).

3. Include your written "good wish or prayer note". We will place all your wishes next to a sample of your cloth in a scrapbook that we will give to our daughter.

Ideas for selecting fabric:
*Select a fabric that is meaningful to you.
*100% cotton fabric is best, as it washes and wears better.
*If there are several members in your family, please feel free to send more than 1 set of scraps. It would be so special to include good wishes from all members of your family!! In China, these quilts were originally made from garments of family and friends, which would surround the child with luck/good wishes.

Ideas for good wishes note:
Well... what would you wish for a child to have in her life? Some ideas that come to mind are good health, perseverance, compassion, sense of humor, and knowledge of the Lord. Use that as a guide for your good wish/prayer note.

My goal is to be able to completely assemble the front of the quilt by the end of the summer, but I’d love to start it sooner. So, you have lots of time to go out and get those fabrics (and I’ll give those of you whose email addresses I have plenty of warning notices)!

Xie xie!! Thank you!