100 Wishes Quilt

To welcome Wendy home, we are having a 100 Good Wishes Quilt made. Here is some info about this Chinese tradition, courtesy of http://originalquilts.com/100_good_wishes_quilts.htm:

“What is 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 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.” 

Our first squares of fabric are coming in, and it is so much fun to see what our friends and family members have chosen for little Wendy. The stories behind the choices are funny, sweet and full of so much love. We are so grateful!

June 8, 2013--Update:
Our quilt makers have been working very hard to help us piece together the final quilt, and we hope it will be completed in about two months. Here are some photos of the work in progress:

Maddie and I spent Spring Break before we left assembling two albums of personal notes and tiny fabric squares. We are very moved by the sweet words of support and wishes for our girl!

Maddie and I know very little about sewing, but Mrs. Krieger, our dedicated quilt manager/coach/mentor/lead quilter/quilt goddess,  has been very patient in teaching us how to operate her machine (and how to "unsew" or rip out stitches when necessary). She kindly thought Maddie would enjoy taking part in making her sister's quilt, which is a true labor of love.

Mrs. Krieger is holding up the assembled pieces with Cheri, who will add the batting, backing and final stitches. We really can't thank Mrs. Krieger enough for all she has done to help us complete this project including hours of planning, sewing and teaching. We couldn't have done this without her!