What plants and supplies made Hawaiian quilts? When and how did the start?
The Hawaiian quilts first started when the hawai'ians held their first sewing circle on Sandwich Island. The first time they met was on April 3,1820. The ladies came from Boston and started the sewing circle.
The plants used to make the designs for the Hawaiian quilts are ulu, pineapple, mum, hibiscus, wood rose, anthurium, white ginger, laua'e, heliconia, torch ginger, bird of paradise and kukui. To make the design, they study the shape of the plants and then create an exaggerated form of pattern which is beautifully symmetrical.
The tools that the makers used were quilting hoops, sharp pins, bees wax, needles, art gum, scissors , dritz maker, ruler, thimbles, thread, stem ripper, pens and pencils. The quilting hoops come in all kinds of sizes. Sharp pins need to be ordinary straight pins and perfect silk pins will do the job but quilting pins are better. The art gum for cleaning spots or light penciled lines. The ruler comes in handy. Your middle finger is the pushing finger. Thimbles are important to use for your middle finger and for your thumb.
It will be easier to use a thinner needle so the appliqueing of the quilt will look better. When you make the curves and points it will be hard to make when you are quilting.Here are10 words in hawaiian and defenitions:
HAWAIIAN WORDS AND THEIR DEFINITIONS 1.kuahonu: turtle back 2.lau: pattern 3.pili: lining of the quilt 4.pulu: soft glossy yellow wool on the base of tree fern stalks, sometimes used for filling 5.ku: motifs 6.koana: ridges made by quilting 7.kalaunu: a crown 8.kapa moe: a blanket for sleeping 9.kapa pohopoho: a patchwork quilt or a crazy quilt 10.kuiki kulipu `u: zigzag quilting