100 Good Wishes Quilt

Well, my crafty side is coming out...and I need help!

"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 luck, blessings, 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".

I am inspired by this Chinese tradition and want to put together a 100 good wishes quilt for our Ethiopian baby-to-be during this long waiting period. I had heard about this idea of making a quilt out of 100 pieces of cloth given by friends and family, but didn't know the details so I just did a little internet search and learned a bit more. So, not only do friends and family give you the pieces of fabric, but they would also include a "well wish" on a piece of paper that a small piece of the fabric is also stapled to. Those 100+ well wishes will be put in a memory book for our child and teach them how ancipated and celebrated they were by 100+ people before they were even known to us.

Here are some samples to inspire you...

If you're interested in being a part of this project, what we're looking for are small pieces of fabric (about 8"x8") and a note (quote, prayer, personal message) that we'll put in a book for our baby within the next few months. Since we need 100 people to contribute, feel free to pass this on to others...

If you don't know our address to mail your cloth and wish to, please email me at 100wishes@gmail.com (I don't want to post our address on the internet).

Thanks!