56 Good Wishes Quilt: An Update

Early this morning I sent the first batch of quilt squares down to Ms. Schatzi. I hated to see them go, but I wanted her to get a feel for what we've received to date. Petunia and I are very lucky to have Ms. Schatzi and her husband in our lives!

As you can see, we've received so many wonderful squares from friends and family. They're wonderfully diverse, from antique fabrics to kitschy prints to mass-market materials to hand-sewn pieces. Some of the squares come from old beloved clothing, while others are brand new from the fabric store. Each square reflects its sender, and Petunia and I are overwhelmed by the love and support we've received throughout our adoption journey so far. This love and support is made tangible through these squares.

Here are the squares we've received so far:

1. sage and cream checks from my college friend and her family; the fabric comes from her daughter's bedding
2. starfish/nautical fabric from Petunia's friend in Rhode Island
3. 3 squares from our hair stylist and her GF; they couldn't decide on just one, so they gave Hester 3 squares
4. summery flowers from a family I used to work for
5. kitty cat fabric from Snapdragon's in-laws; they sent a little book they made with quotes about cats for Hester's scrapbook (FYI, Snapdragon is Petunia's brother)
6. sea life fine-wale corduroy from our betta fish, Boris (you know we had to put stuff in from the pets!)
7. cloud print from our cat Reuben
8. sushi print from our cat Josephine
9. doggy print from our dog Clary B.
10. floral flannel from my baby blanket from me
11. chili pepper flannel from Petunia
12. Pride fabric from Petunia's friend in Pittsburgh
13. love and kind words fabric from Hester's godparents, Trista and Russ
14. blue and cream print from my friends in Detroit, in honor of Smith's colors
15. oak leaf and acorn print from baby A.'s family; the oak leaf is their symbol for baby A.
16. mod disco fabric from our dear family friends in Colorado
17. mint green fleece from my great aunt--she went out in a rainstorm to get it for us
18. blue and yellow flower print from Petunia's supervisor at work; the fabric was her grandmother's
19. bright yellow floral fabric from the furbabies' petsitter
20. train fabric from my auntie
21. purple print from a college friend who's studying in India; she got the fabric at an open-air market in Delhi
22. orange flowers from my cousin S.--her wish for Hester is the funniest of all: "Don't become a Red Sox fan!"
23. lime and fuchsia print from my aunt and uncle
24. kitty cat print from my Grandma W________, cat lover extraordinaire
25. blue star fabric from Petunia's friend K.
26. yellow material from JPP's childhood curtains and dark teal fine-wale corduroy from one of JPP's favorite childhood dresses
27. royal blue with colorful dots from a colleague of Petunia's
28. Dolphin Rescue Team logo from Beluga
29. pink alligator fabric from Orca; he had pajamas and a pillow made from this fabric
30. BDU material from our friends at West Point
31. red, black, and cream plaid flannel in memory of my Grandpa Herbie
32. trucks from Canada's son Corwin
33. moose and northern print from Canada and her husband
34. bunnies and flowers from Canada's daughter Clara
35. green checks with hand-sewn yellow stars from Diesel and Katydid; the fabric belonged to Katydid's late mother
36. retro babies from L&Y
37. silk squares from Petunia's first GF (you know the lezzies like to stay friends with our exes!)
38. tiny red heart print from a colleague of Petunia's
39. chickadee print from Squasha and her BF
40. squirrel print from my Grandma D.
41. teddy bear prints from my aunt and uncle
42. musical print with hand-embroidered ladybug from Petunia's friend L.
43. fabric from jeans belonging to my late Grandpa W________
44. camouflage material from a bandanna my dad used in Operation Desert Storm (from my dad, of course)
45. lounging cats in honor of my family's cats
46. bright cat print in honor of the cats in my extended family
47. Carolina Panthers fabric from my mom--she's a recent convert to football, and now she's hooked!
48. Diet Coke fabric from my Grandma Hazel: See? My addiction runs in the family
49. retro firetrucks in memory of my Grandpa Herbie and in honor of the volunteer firefighters in my extended family; also in honor of Orca and Petunia and their work with children with burns
50. random green square awaiting a favorite quote from Petunia
51. pink and yellow print with my favorite quote: "Be the change you wish to see in the world."--Mahatma Gandhi
52. orange sock monkey fabric from Petunia and me; this will be the backing for the quilt