100 Good Wishes

Hi there! This is just a quick stop to show you a couple of layouts for a 2 page spread...Yes, I am STILL working on Meikina's photo book. Once the Shutterfly coupon expired I sorta slowed down a bit, I guess I work better under pressure, LOL! Anyway, this one is really special to me. It has my Mother in it, and my Princess...and Snoopy! He's a crazy kitty and lives up to his name every minute that he isn't sleeping. He just has to know what is going on, all the time!

These layouts tell about Meikina's 100 Good Wishes Quilt. My daughter was a member of a Yahoo group made up of parents who were also waiting to adopt their little girls from China. They agreed to do a quilt square exchange so fabric pieces from all over the world make up this quilt. Several members of the family got in on the fun too! After all the squares were collected my Mother stitched it all together. I think she worked on it for about a year and finished it a couple of months ago. I brought it home on my last visit in early June. I don't know if you can see the top stitching very well, but it is done in red thread. "An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but will never break." Ancient Chinese Proverb

The photos could never do the quilt justice, it is absolutely beautiful, a work of art made with my Mother's own dear hands! Snoopy made sure she did a good job, LOL!

Here are the layouts along with the journaling in case it's too small on the images. I hope you can see by reading this how special the quilt is to the family, and will be for Meikina as she gets older.

Credits: Frames by Katie Pertiet, Flowers by Jen Ulasiewicz, Stitched silk flowers by Kim Christensen, Journaling Note paper by Gina Miller. Cross Stitches by Amy Teets, Buttons by Christina Renee.
(Click photos to view larger)




Left side journaling:
In some parts of Northern China, when a baby is born, family and friends of the child donate fabric scraps from old clothing to the child’s mother. She then makes a quilt for the baby from the scraps. It is said that the luck and energy of the people who wore these clothes surrounds the child when she is wrapped in the quilt. This is the tradition upon which the 100 Good Wishes Quilt is modeled. In April 2005 letters were sent out to family and friends asking them to contribute a piece of fabric along with a written wish or note for Meikina. Families from all over the world who were waiting to adopt from China also sent squares of fabric along with their blessings and good wishes for Meikina. Each wish was mounted in a scrapbook with a small piece of the corresponding fabric attached to the wish. This way, Meikina will be able to read the wishes and see who sent each piece of fabric. She will cherish this quilt and the good wishes that were made for her before we ever even knew her.Meikina’s great-gramma Betty took all the squares and with her loving hands stitched them together to make this very special quilt.



Right side journaling:
Dear Meikina, I hope you will treasure this quilt for all of your life. I enjoyed putting it together for you. Every stitch was sewn with love. You can count the pieces and see how many people love you even though many will never get to meet you. You might not remember me later, but I hope when you use this quilt you will think of your great-grandma Betty. I wish you happiness and health and may all your dreams come true!
Love, Gramma Betty

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings and Hugs,
Cheryl