Good wishes 50 thru 100 (just in time for the girls' bday)

Well, the UPS man is now safe from attack, because Quilt #2 (our second 50 Good Wishes quilt) arrived safely on the porch yesterday. Whew! It was kind of a nail-biter watching the online tracking updates as this priceless box made its way from Texas to California. The quilt was lovingly made by the girls' Grandmama (TubaDad's mom), with help from Granddaddy, and with precious fabric squares from our friends and family around the world. We think it's absolutely gorgeous and grinned in delight to open it and feel all the love that went into it. It was really fun to see how different this quilt was from the one my mom made for the girls -- exactly what we hoped for when we divided up our 100 quilt squares, sent them off to the two best seamstresses we know, and said "go hog wild, do anything you want." Grandmama also included a couple of surprises in the package -- a beautiful letter she wrote to the girls explaining why she chose the colors and pattern, and a really neat book called "A Quilt of Wishes" by Teresa Orem Werner. (Warning: this wonderful book will make you cry the ugly cry. Read it for the first time by yourself, with plenty of Kleenex and maybe a nice cup of tea or some chocolate.) We also got one of these books from supergirlfriend Stacey, so now each girl will have one to chew up, uh, I mean read. Here's an except from the letter, shared with Grandmama's permission, (y'all still have that Kleenex handy, right?):

The next step was to select just the right fabric for your quilt. Some of the pieces needed a dark fabric around them to make them look best, but other pieces needed a light fabric. Granddaddy and I went to the quilt store and looked at all their fabrics and when we saw these fabrics, we felt they were right for the quilt. They would not clash with other colors in your room and would be comforting to you when you are ready to rest. The medium color ties all the pieces together and as I worked with it, it reminded me of water. (When you quilt, you have lots of time to think about these things.) This was perfect because it is like the Pacific Ocean. Just as this fabric connects the different pieces of your quilt, the Pacific Ocean connected your family. At your mom and dad's beautiful wedding, they stood beside the Pacific Ocean to say their vows and looked westward across the water, not knowing that they would someday get on an airplane and fly across that huge body of water to be united with their two wonderful daughters.

The girls are just going to love playing on top of both of these quilts, snuggling up under them, and talking about who sent each fabric square. Thank you to the sew-tastic grandmothers for wrapping our children in love, and thank you to each person who sent a piece of fabric and a good wish for our daughters. Squares from this blue quilt are from: Row 1: Lori K, Shannon Y, Luedekes, Maryann A, Aunt Letha Row 2: Lisa S, Denise and Joseph H, Kim Mc, Aunt Jin Row 3: Ineke H (Belgium), Stephanie M, Janet L, Julian S, Julie W Row 4: Shannon K, Beth Anne Z, Aunt Nancy, Aunt Josie Row 5: Tony and Melissa, Mrs J, Sally and Andy, Sharon P, Lela W Row 6: Angela W, Granddaddy, Grandmama, Tina H Row 7: Robin M, Lisa S, TubaDad (Daddy!), Marilee K, Wendy N Row 8: Mary Ann M, Uncle David, Jackie C, Teri C Row 9: Janet Z, Aunt Kate, cousins Matthew and Sarah, fabric from M's room as a kid, Alecia W Row 10: Lori L, Karen N, Linda and Ray F, Heather M Row 11: Risa J, Kelly and John P, Meily R, Sharon P, Jody P