Quilting has been around for a long time. The earliest known example is a quilted garment depicted on a carved figure of a Pharaoh from 3400 BC. It is a simple process; three layers of material are stitched together to create a padded surface. Quilting is decorative, it is warm, and in the hands of a clever craftsperson, quilting can be beautiful.

Before Captain Cook, before the whalers, before the missionaries, woven fabric was unknown in the Hawaiian Islands. With no plants or animals which could lend their fibers for traditional weaving, the Hawaiians turned to making kapa out of bark. Traditional kapa cloth took many hands and many days to make. The inner bark was stripped from trees, it was pounded, it was left to ferment, then it was pounded again. Designs were either stamped or painted on the finished product.

So, when the missionary wives showed up with their woven fabrics, and steel needles, the practical Hawaiian women stopped all the pounding that it took to make the kapa, and concentrated on the more artistic side of quilt making.

At first, Island women imitated the patchwork quilts made by the missionaries. Soon, though, the tropics began to shine through the women’s work.

It is thought that the breadfruit pattern was the first Hawaiian quilt design. Supposedly a breadfruit branch shadowed a piece of fabric laid out on grass. That inspired some women to cut out the shape of the leaves, and appliqué them onto another piece of fabric. The appliquéd piece was layered with a fabric backing, and ferns, used for the batting, were placed in between the two pieces of material. Then all layers were quilted together with fine stitches following the outline of the design. This technique quickly spread among the Islands, with the Hawaiian quilt makers favoring brightly colored designs on a pale colored backgrounds.

The stylized designs for Hawaiian quilts were, and still are, taken from nature, and each motif has its own specific meaning. The ulu or breadfruit design represents growth and fruitfulness, and is always the first design made by beginning quilters. The anthurium signifies hospitality, the plumeria is for birth, love and new beginnings, and the kukui symbolizes peace and wisdom. Neither humans nor animals were depicted on the quilts because it was believed their spirit would be trapped and become restless.

There is no doubt that Hawaiian quilts are appealing. The symmetry of their design gives a sense of order. Because of the stylized representations of local plants, and the use of just two colors, Hawaiian quilts also display a definite sense of place. And the rows and rows of curved quilting are reminders of the ocean waves ever rolling onto the beaches. A traditional Hawaiian quilt is calming, as well as warming.

Hawaiian quilt makers insist that each handmade quilt is imbued with the spirit or mana of the maker. They are right, of course.