Further Explanation

I have gotten a lot of questions lately from people trying to figure out what to send for Didi's Bai Jia Bei.  I think it may be because I am clearly incapable of giving a short answer or explanation for anything!  Anyway, I tweaked the instructions a little bit.  Here's the updated version:

- Choose your fabric. 100 % Cotton would probably be best, seeing as it would be a shame for something fancy to get ruined if the quilt needed to be washed due to being "loved" by our little one.  It can be something cute from a fabric store, something that makes you think of China (pandas; ladybugs symbolize good luck in adoption) or babies or our family.  It would be even cooler though if the fabric had something personal about your family though: Maybe a print that is symbolic of where you live or something you really like.  If you really want to go all out and get creative with fabric markers or needlepoint or something, that'd be neat (remember though... it MUST be machine washable!), but don't feel overwhelmed!  The point is just to have something that represents you and your family, or your prayers for Didi, not necessarily to make a huge project for you.

Even though we've been matched with a boy, we're not going with a specific color scheme. I'm thinking it'll probably be some sort of red background, but it depends on what I find over there.  

 - Cut your piece. Just get the people at the fabric store to cut about 1/4 yard.  Send that and we'll take it from there. We will use it to make two blankets: One will be a large quilt, but be more of an heirloom thing.  The other will be a smaller "lovie" sized blanket (think Linus from the "Peanuts" cartoon).  We'll also keep a small scrap of fabric that will go on the scrapbook page with your "Good Wish" card (a way of referencing whom each square is from.)

 - Make a wish.  Write out a prayer, Bible verse, poem, or good thought for the new arrival. You can go as simple as writing it out on a 3x5" card, or as elaborate as decorating a whole scrapbook page (just no bigger than 8.5x 11", please)  Also, we would love a picture of your family to include in the book. Do whatever you like. If you're artistic and want to draw or something, cool!  I'll assemble the scrapbook (one day... hopefully before the kids are in college!) with all the good wishes.  This will become a treasure for our family.

 - Don't forget to send it!  As I said, you've got plenty of time at this point, but hopefully the time will pass quickly!  If you need a mailing address, let me know.

Big "Thank Yous" to everyone who has already sent in pieces, and thanks in advance to those whose pieces are on their way.  This is really fun and exciting, and I can't wait to see the outcome!