Here's the finished product...put together one piece at a time, just like every other quilt. But there are some pretty special pieces to this one. You'll understand why soon.
First off, I'd just like to thank my fabulous swap mama, Lynne. She was the one who was so thoughtful when she gave me my partner for the doll quilt swap. She knew both of our stories and thought we would be a good fit. And I think she was right. ;) Many of you know from my last doll quilt (which was also my first one!) that my little family took quite a long time to grow. There was struggle, pain, sickness, triumph, and joy all along the way...not to mention that the surgeries and medication. But we have our beautiful little girl Caitlyn who just turned 16 months.
So when Lynne paired me with Kendra, it was a match made in heaven. Kendra and her husband have also been struggling to increase their own family. They have three biological sons already, but they knew God had more in store for them. And thus began their own journey which Kendra is documenting on her blog, Praying for some Pink in our House of Blue. You see, they are bringing home a little girl from China, the lovely Charlotte Rose.
This story was the inspiration for my quilt for Kendra. You may have noticed that there are some sailors on this quilt. Did you count them? You did! Well then you know that there are three, which just happens to be the number of sons that Kendra has. ;)
These sailors are off on the journey of a lifetime. They are out to rescue a certain little girl and bring her home with them. They are surrounded by the great sea and all the mysterious creatures you might see in a far far away land, like phantom swimming girls or giant seas turtles and many other boats!
But here is the one they are after. Drifting in the sea on her lily pad, a little girl waits for these sailors to rescue her.
The mountains in the background with the little hillside village help to set the scene of this mysterious land. The sky is changing from night to day, reflecting the time spent on their journey...but also how beautiful the change of time can be.
About halfway through the swap, Lynne emailed me to inform me that Kendra had to drop out of the Doll Quilt Swap due to the sheer amount of paperwork required for an international adoption. But I knew immediately that I would still make this quilt for her. She wouldn't have left if not for the very reason I was making this quit for her. So the swap mamas let me keep her as my partner so I could continue to work on this. You see, despite the fact that we did not adopt ourselves, because of our own fertility issues we are very close with a number of couples who have. Most of them have done international adoptions, so I am particularly familiar with the intense highs and lows that come from the process. I wanted Kendra to know that there are people out there who understand and are praying for her and her family.
Soon, she, her husband, and of course those sailors..err..sons, will be holding this precious girl in their arms.
.jpg)
Wendy said...
My favorite Valentine Day memories were from grade school when we all brought those little, tiny, postcard like valentines into school and exchanged them with our classmates :)
caribousmom (at) gmail (dot) com
http://www.caribousmom.com
