This quilt took 10 years to become a reality because, like me, Lisa started collecting squares of fabric from friends, family and others waiting to bring their daughters home in the Spring of 2006, after our document files officially arrived in China.
Lisa and Alex finally became a family almost exactly a year after we arrived home with Sunshine and when she asked me just over a year ago if I'd be willing to make this quilt for her daughter, I was truly honored. Lisa and I were brought together by our adoptions and to be a part of this very meaningful gift for her Alex means the world to me.
I started with this pretty stack of squares, many of which are also in Jammer's 100 Good Wishes Quilt and will be in Sunshine's too (when I eventually get around to making hers) since we were in some of the same swap groups.
Lisa and I looked through a lot of ideas for 100 Good Wishes Quilts and once she chose which one spoke to her, I set to work, first by sorting the pieces into color families to see what I had to work with.
I paired up similar colors diagonally in the 4 patches, coordinating the other pair with complimenting colors.
The blocks went together quickly and the sashing was added to one side. Then it was time to lay out the blocks for final placement. As you can see, I had some "help".
The top was actually finished last summer and then waited for Lisa to decide what she wanted for the backing. She originally focused on a bright teal from one of the blocks but after hunting all over and not finding what she envisioned, she went in another direction and found a backing right before Christmas that ended up working really well.
I chose the Flying Paisley Panto for this and I like the way it compliments the overall design. It is tough to actually see in these photos, but the white sashing and borders is actually a White tone on tone print with small paisleys on it.
Finding a good thread color for such a scrappy quilt wasn't easy but in the end I chose an Off White So Fine. It clashed less with the darker fabrics than a pure White did and it still looks great against the white fabrics.
The backing Lisa picked was this Tangerine Aboriginal Dot and it looked great with all the bright and fun prints on the front plus the pale Yellow batik Lisa brought me that I used for the cornerstones turned out to coordinate perfectly for the binding.
I used an Orange thread on the black that blends in so all you see is wonderful texture.
Right now the finished quilt is whisking its way to them in the midwest and I can't wait to hear their thoughts when they see it for the first time.
This quilt actually has 144 wishes in it and it finished at 93" x 93".
Each 100 Good Wishes Quilt that I create brings with it so much emotion as I remember the many days, weeks, months and years that we waited to bring our babies home. There is so much hope and longing wrapped up in those small squares. From now on Alex will be able to look her quilt and match the squares up with the wishes written to her and know that she is truly wrapped up in love.
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