Some of you might look at this photo and instantly remember where it’s from.

But some of you might not remember that sweet little Quiver Tree Giveaway around this time last year {we should do that again, hey?} and the photo shoot winners we met in the process. With apologies to the rest of you who entered but didn’t win (I sure did wish all of ya could win) it felt very heaven-ordained that not long after our return from South Africa we had the privilege of meeting this wonderful family, raising two boys from our beloved continent.

The Boltes family – Megan, Samuel, Solomon, and Cameron (I’m listing them as they are pictured above) – have become dear friends to us since then. Their precious sons, from Ethiopia and Uganda, are very close in age to our Scottish-South African-American boys and my heart is so happy when they play together!

They recently shared with us the exciting news that they’ll be adopting another child soon, and this time from South Africa. From the little I understand of the process, international adoptions are absolutely wonderful, heart-wrenchingly difficult, and wallet-pinchingly expensive. The Boltes have been blessed with a grant from an adoption agency that will help cover some of the costs, (about $5,000) but there are still lots more funds to raise to make this miracle happen (somewhere around $15,000.)

As a part of the fund-raising process, Megan took up the craft of sewing and I fell in love with her work instantly and wanted to share it with you. At her sweet etsy shop called “Life, Stitched Together” Megan is selling the beautiful crib quilts she has been stitching with love to assist with the costs of the upcoming adoption.

Some quilts ordered by other adoptive families (that one is a wall-hanging) “tell the story” of the adoption. Oh how I love you, polka-dots.

She will custom-stitch to order and her work is just SO lovely to me.

Gray and yellow, just like the Belle’s nursery!

Do you love that fabric and the contrasting colors? Me too!!

I did a little mini-interview with Megan to ask her a few questions I thought you might have about the quilts and the adoption. My questions are in bold, probably because I have a big head. Here’s how it went.

First, please tell us about yourself! Where are you from? How did you end up in wee Washington?

Cameron was born in Nebraska, and grew up all over the US. I was born and raised in Raleigh, NC. We met our freshman year of college at NCSU. We were married in 2006. Our first son joined our family in 2010. We moved to Washington after career changes for both of us. Cameron was doing full-time ministry, and I was working as a molecular genetic technologist. Our second son was about to join our family, and we knew we had to make a change. I needed to be home with our sons. I was missing so much of their formative young years. So, Cameron found a new job near Washington, and I made the shift to a stay-at-home mom (I still work part-time as a nanny and a science tutor).

Tell us about the quilts. Where did the inspiration come from? Have you been sewing long?

As an adoptive family, we love to celebrate our children’s birth culture and our adoption journeys. What better way to do this than through a child’s nursery and room decor! I love that I can personalize them, and that they will be a treasure for these new families. They are great for adoptive families and nonadoptive families. I can add any applique to the quilts….names, verses, animals, airplanes, etc. I have only been sewing for about 6 months. I took a class at the local community college where I learned the basics so that I could sew curtains for our new home, and I have been hooked ever since!

We (now) know the quilts are a fundraiser for an international adoption. Can you tell us more about that process, and how/why you decided to adopt internationally?

Yes, we are raising funds for travel to be united with our new child. The adoption process is like nothing else. Full of lots of paperwork, a lot of prayer, a lot of excitement and maybe a few tears. Right now, we are working on updating our homestudy. We then will be approved by USCIS to adopt a foreign-born child. We then will wait to be matched with a child by our agency. They look at many things to make this match, but really want an environment where the particular child will thrive. We then will wait for a court date, and then travel to meet our child and go to court. We will be in-country for 2 weeks, and then once issued a visa be able to come home with our child. We chose to adopt internationally…that is a loaded question with an uninspired answer…but we prayed through the different avenues of adoption and ended up at international adoption.

What has it been like for each of your boys as they have transitioned to life in a new country?

Our boys transitions to life with a family were very different from each other. Both full of miracles, learning and grace (for everyone involved).

Are there other items you’re sewing besides quilts?

The main focus is custom adoption and name quilts, but there a few necklaces made with Ethiopian paper beads, and aprons. I will also be adding custom stockings and garland in a few months.

How would you like to be contacted if people would like to place an order for some Stitched Together magic?

The easiest way is through the etsy shop. Or our neglected blog is at Our Life 2-Gether.

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How’s that for a lovely story, friends? If you need a special gift, or have a friend who is expecting (or mayhaps some of you are??) I hope you will check out Megan’s shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/LifeStitchedTogether. And you can take a peek to see the little banner I created for her! {Do you like the tag line? 🙂 }

Knowing how awesomesauce and generous you guys are, I thought you might like to know that you can also make a donation to assist with the costs of the Boltes upcoming adoption at http://adopttogether.org/theboltes/.

Have a lekker weekend, guys and dolls!

xCC