THE quilt.

okay folks....as i am sure you have discovered, i love love love making quilts. and now that our baby pringle is happily ensconced in my belly, it is time to start planning THE baby quilt. luckily for me, i do not have to go shopping for fabric. whaaaat?!?! thats right, you heard me. i do not have to go shopping for fabric. how is this possible you ask? because you, yes YOU will provide the fabric.

chinese characters for "wish"

i am super duper excited about this project, which i discovered almost two years ago when researching patterns for my nephew's baby quilt. this project is called a "100 good wishes quilt" and is a tradition from northern china. the  basic premise is to convince 100 friends and family to send me a swatch of fabric along with a good wish written for our baby. the one hundred pieces of fabric will be combined all together to make a single quilt and the written wishes will be combined into a scrapbook for pringle to enjoy a few years down the road. naturally, if you choose to participate, you are sending a bit of love and a good wish, hence the name of the quilt. fancy, eh?? 

the patterns for such a quilt are endless, but i want to keep it simple, so i am thinking of something like these two gorgeous good wishes quilts made by the folk(s) at original quilts.

 

i know you are chomping at the bit to participate. have you already thought of a scrumptious piece of fabric? is it a brand new bit that you think would be just perfect? or maybe it is from a long loved shirt that you no longer wear? no matter where or how you come upon the bit of fabric, it will be perfect. now all you need are some details and you will be ready to roll...

fabric: any color, any pattern, any age, anything goes. the fabric can be used (i.e. from an old skirt or favorite shirt), but we would prefer if it is clean. and nope, it does not have to have anything to do with babies, baby animals, baby toys, or baby colors. variety is the spice of life! 100% cotton is best, because it is easily washable, but if you don't know the content of your fabric, fear not...we are super flexible. just make sure the fabric is not super thick or chunky, because i have to be able to sew with it.

size: the fabric should be a minimum of 8" x 8". don't make yourself crazy trying to be exact, because i will be cutting the piece to fit the exact measurements needed for the quilt (the fabric will be cut down to about 4" x 4", so keep that in mind when choosing a fabric). if it makes you feel better to send a larger piece, that's perfectly fine by us.

wish: your wish can be whatever makes you happy...wishes for pringle, words of wisdom, a quote, an excerpt from your favorite poem/song, etcetera. write your wish on any paper that makes you happy (maximum size 6" x 6").  decorate your paper however you like, but remember that it is going to be put in a scrapbook, so it needs to be relatively flat. make sure to attach a bit of your fabric to your wish paper, so that pringle will be able to match up your wish to your square in the quilt.

deadline: since i need time to sew this lovely quilt, please send your fabric and wishes by march 15th.  if you need our mailing address, please send me an email at pickelswimming@gmail.com.

we are so excited about this quilt and we want to thank you for helping to create a lifelong treasure for our little bundle of joy.