Thursday, August 19, 2010

A Beautiful Gift

I just came back to China after a wonderful month in the states. It was so nice to be home, and it can be hard to readjust to life here after all the comforts of home. The heat (and lack of AC), the food, the dust... it can all be a bit much, especially now that I'm pregnant and seem to be overly-sensitive to everything.

But when I came back, I went to visit our seamstress. When I walked in the door, she excitedly ran to her back room and came out with a gift.

"Your baby is going to be born in December," she said. "It's so cold here during that time!"


I nodded, and then she unfolded this beautiful gift... a handmade quilt made from scraps of many of our Scarlet Threads products.


Something about the moment made me realized that despite the difficulties of living in our little village, I'm so very thankful for the opportunity. It, too, is a beautiful gift.  The quilt is beautiful and eclectic and made with a lot of love, and every time I use it, I'll be reminded of her and our little journey together this last year... the birth of Scarlet Threads.

And just to clarify, that's not my baby.  It's still a baozi in the steamer.  :)  This little beauty is one of the babes at New Day, the foster home where I work for my "day job."
Posted by Carrie at 8:00 AM

15 comments:

  1. Personally, I think that if lap or baby quilts made from "scraps" were added to the website they would be a hit! That quilt is absolutely gorgeous!!!
    ReplyDelete
  2. How sweet!

    I agree with Tara, and was going to say the same thing! I love making scrap quilts and these would be such a great addition to the shop!
    ReplyDelete
  3. FYI, my mother is a quilter and we were talking about putting one of hers up for auction on the site! :) But, the baby quilts are so perfect. They are quicker and easier to make, especially with smaller sewing machines!

    It's not hard to see why, but the fabrics flow so well together here! :)
    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my word...I want a Scraps Quilt for Evan! I would love for him to have something from the very hands in the community in which he lived in China to pass on to his own children.

    I'd love one for our new baby too...but definitely Evan!

    Seriously...can you guys market these?

    Oh, and Carrie....your gift is absolutely stunning and beautiful...you are so blessed! What a treasure!
    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh it is BEAUTIFUL! And it instantly brought back thoughts of my own Grandma and her "Crazy Scrap Quilts." It was so meaningful that she thought of your baby in the winter. Just like another Grandmother to watch over your family!!! There is so much love in that! And I totally agree that it would be a cool addition to the ST line-up...a hot item among the ND graduates for sure ... but to others as well! And such a good use of scraps!
    Blessings!
    ReplyDelete
  6. A beautiful and thoughtful gift, for sure.

    And I agree-- I would also love to have a Scarlet Threads baby quilt for Sarah!
    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh Carrie...what a PRICELESS GIFT! This one dredged up some emotions as I pictured her handing you this thoughtful gift. Love it!!

    And I'm with the other ladies...what a GREAT idea for ST...I'd buy one for Khloe for SURE!!!

    Hugs,
    Tanya
    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful! What a wonderful and meaningful gift.
    ReplyDelete
  10. I agree the quilt would be an awesome addition to Scartlet Threads. It is one of the many gifts I bought my daughter while in China, a quilt for her made in HER country to pass down to HER children.
    ReplyDelete
  11. Beautiful! I think it is a hug from God to bless you for obedience....that first step of faith into a new journey with Scarlet Threads has reaped a harvest in so many lives, Carrie. Praise the Lord! What a beautiful gift in so many ways!
    ReplyDelete
  12. Great photo you presented Baby McKean's new quilt with! Your Great Grandma Zumstein was famous for her crazy quilts and most of her twenty seven grandchildren received one at some point in her life. I especially like the backside as it reminds me of the way everything is used and reused in the Chinese culture. Made new again, like Christ in us. Beautiful!

    {{HUGS}}
    AJ
    ReplyDelete
  13. Carrie, I love it. And what a treasure!

    I second (third?) the motion. I would gladly prepay for a scrap quilt for you-know-who.

    Shelley
    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi ladies - Thanks for all the beautiful comments! Glad you liked it as much as me. :) Aunt Janie, I particularly like what you said... about this culture using and reusing and making new again, like Christ in us. I love that thought, and won't forget it as I look at the blanket in the future!

    I know from your comments that many of you would be interested in purchasing a quilt. Wasn't expecting that response!! We'll explore this a little bit, and we might be able to do them as a pre-order type product. I'm concerned that shipping costs would be prohibitive -- they are quite bulky! But, we'll explore it and will let you know if we think it is something we can do!
    ReplyDelete
  15. What a beautiful treasure for you and your child. It will be something you can cradle him or her in while you share about the season of your life when Scarlet Threads was born and he or she was created as well. Lots of new life to celebrate.
    Kelly
    from www.wearegraftedin.com
    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)