There is a Northern Chinese tradition of the "Bai Jia Bei" or "100 Good Wishes Quilt." , When a baby was born, family and friends would donate to the child's mother fabric scraps from old clothing with a wish for the baby. To welcome and celebrate a new life, the mother would make a quilt for the child from the scraps. It is said that the luck, energy and good wishes from all of the families and friends who contributed the fabric surrounds the child when she is wrapped in the quilt. The quilt is then passed down from generation to generation. This idea of the 100 Wishes Quilt really touched me. What a wonderful way to have everyone participate in the celebration of Emilee coming into our lives. The quilt would be a community quilt of love and wishes waiting for her to be snuggled in it. Besides for tradition, she will someday be able to see how much she was wanted and thought about even before she came into our family.
On December 27th, I sent out a letter via email and postal mail to our family and friends explaining what the Bai Jia Bei is and how they can participate. To my surprise, the responses were swift and overwhelming. Everyone wanted to get involved.
I even joined a 100 good wishes swap group on line to share squares and wishes with other families that were going to China this year to get their daughters. Their squares would represent; to the mothers making the quilts, a bond between mothers that have waited and wished for our daughters to come home and to you a sisterhood of knowing that in the blanket there were squares and wishes of other families just like Emilees, who came from the same country and share your same history.
After a long decission I finally decided on a pattern and stiched them together.
As you can see the project got out of hand. I had so many squares and I didnt want to leave anyone out.
The blanket has become a family blanket because I can wrap my whole family in it.
Now that I have the top finished I still have to put it together and quilt it.
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