What is a 100 Good Wishes Quilt?

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, energy, 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.

We are inviting all of our family and friends to help us to make our quilt for Jamie. Most of our fabric squares will be coming from our online friends but it would be truly special to have some squares from the family and friends that Jamie will meet and grow to love.


Fabric guidelines:

1. Please send us one 9" x 9" square of 100% cotton, washable fabric.

2. The fabric can be from anywhere: select a fabric that is meaningful to you. Whether it is a print that you really like or an old favorite t-shirt, a piece you saw in the fabric store and just loved, anything meaningful really.

3. It is important to pre-wash and dry the fabric BEFORE it’s cut.

Wish guidelines:

1. Along with your square of fabric, send an index card (or some type of one sided note card) with a good wish for Jamie.

2. Please attach (glue, staple, tie on, etc) a small scrap of the fabric to the card.

3. Your wish card can be simple or elaborate, it can be deep and though-provoking or something as simple and fun as a wish for a lifetime of great hair days! If you feel creative and want to decorate it, that's great too. Poems, quotes, or anything else that floats your boat are fine and very common.

4. Wishes will be placed in a scrapbook so she will be able to look at her quilt, see who sent each square and read the wishes/messages. She will use this quilt every night and she will know by sight the people/fabric connections! It’s yet another way to help her understand that although she wasn’t born to us, she is part of us, and she is oh so very special.

5. Please remember to sign your wish and include your city and state, make sure to NOT use notecards that fold as the wish will be hidden inside once the scrapbook is assembled.

Thanks! We love you all and truly appreciate your help in welcoming Jamie Lyn into our lives!