Sunday, August 15, 2010

Bai Jia Bei or 100 Good Wishes Quilt

Dear family and friends,

It has been a LONG time since I have posted and this one is long overdue. My hubby did all the blogging during the trip. He did a fantastic job as I knew he would. He is much better than I am when it comes to all the details. I really appreciate his hard work on the blog as it will be a wonderful keepsake for all of us over the years to come!

We have been talking about having a 100 Good Wishes Quilt made for Emerson way before we even had our referral for him. These quilts (Bai Jia Bei) are a tradition in Northern China and are given to a child when he/she is born. One hundred pieces of fabric are collected from family and friends and then sewn together into a beautiful keepsake that can be passed down generation after generation. Along with the larger pieces, smaller pieces of the same fabric are included in a card with wishes for the baby. We would LOVE for our dear family and friends to help us with this beautiful tradition. My step-father's mom, Diane, has graciously agreed to take on this project for us. Here is what we would like you to do...

1. Pick out a piece of 100 percent cotton fabric. Please feel free to use a piece of fabric that has a special meaning to you. It does not have to be a new piece.

2. Wash and iron the fabric. This will allow it to be clean, shrink if it needs to, and allow for easier cutting.

3. Cut two pieces of the fabric. Diane has asked for a 12x12 piece so that she has freedom to cut it as needed. Also, we need the smaller piece that will go with your wish for Emerson.

4. Write a note for Emerson. It can include anything...your own words, prayers, poems, stories, etc. Attach the smaller piece of fabric to your note.

Please let me know if you have any questions as I am writing this before my first cup of coffee and I may not actually be making sense. Ha, ha!

3 comments:

  1. What a beautiful thing to do for Emerson. It will be a wonderful keepsake for him!!!

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  2. Where would you like me to send mine? you can email me the address if you'd like. I'd love to participate!

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  3. DO you still need fabric?

    I'm also collecting some for mine and I know patience is necessary :)

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