My first wallhangings

These wall hangings were the first ones I made.

My youngest daughter and her husband have adopted two daughters from China, the first in 1998 and the second in 2003. I was fortunate to accompany my daughter on both occasions.

The group of families (six in total) that travelled together in 1998, have had a reunion every year since then, (incidentally we will have our 11th reunion the first weekend in August). Each family takes turns hosting the reunions. In 2004, I presented all six families(I have only shown five here), with a wall hanging.

I fussy cut and machine appliqued all of the features on the wall hanging. On the left side of the pic I used fabric that represented China, mountains for where the Great Wall is, bamboo and Panda bears, Its difficult to see but I was able to find some oriental fabric with small children on it, which represents the babies when they were adopted. There is also a red silk heart in the bamboo, which represents the birth Mother, it is hidden as we don't know where she is.

The water is the Pacific Ocean which they crossed to come to Canada, the bridge represents the Adoption Agency in Canada, and also the tie that binds the girls to the land of their birth.

The right side represents Canada, the mountains of British Columbia, the wild animals that live in Canada, and also a grown up young girl which represents how they were in 2004. The maple tree in all its Autumn splendor, is loosing its leaves, as they fall they change into the hearts which represents the love that the girls now have from their new family.

Each wall hanging is much the same only I used different poses of the bears and various animals.
I also wrote a letter explaining the picture when I presented them to the parents they were all moved by the words and wall hangings that they had tears streaming down their faces.

Thanks for looking, Patricia