There is clearly something in my temperament that makes me suited for hobbies that most people would consider slightly obsessive and insane,* or at the very least extremely labour intensive.
I hand-sew anything I can, create historical clothing that involves massive amounts of engineering, insist on buying my furniture second-hand so that I can take it apart and re-finish or re-cover it with a finish or fabric I like, and finally, make Hawaiian quilts.
Hawaiian quilts (at least the proper hand-sewn ones) are quite possible one of the the most labour intensive quilts out there. First a stylised pattern, symmetrical across four quarters and usually representing a plant or something else in nature, is basted and appliqued to the base fabric. Then the top, batting, and bottom fabric are all quilted together with little tiny hand-quilting stitches that mirror the lines of the pattern.
Even if I work at it pretty much non-stop, it takes me about 6 months just to make 1 baby quilt. If I have it as a nice hand sewing project on the side…well…let’s just say I have to start a quilt long before anyone thinks of having a baby!
I’m not brave enough yet to make a full size quilt, so far I have confined myself to pillows and baby quilts.
Anyway, (finally getting to the finished project), here is the quilt I finished this time last year:
The pattern is based on a pineapple, which I am very fond of.
I tried a ‘new’ quilting technique with this quilt – the stitching inside the pineapples looks like the pattern on a pineapple, rather than following the contours of the applique.
I use wool batting or organic cotton and bamboo batting, for a medium loft and an old-fashioned feel.
Felicity loved this quilt. She refused to get off it as I took pictures. I think she was aware of how pretty she looked on it!
It looks very nice on our bed too…but I gave it away to the newborn son of some dear friends of mine, another Hawaiian-Kiwi couple.
I hand sew the binding on too!
Brilliant. I’ve been working on a hawaiian pillow top (actually, not working on is more accurate) for almost 2 years. I’m planning to start a ukulele case soon and love the pineapple pattern. Where did you get your pattern?
Thanks! I know how you feel about ‘not working on it’. My latest quilt has been dragging on for 3 years – long past the baby it was intended for.
I actually make my own patterns for my quilts. It was something I learned to do as a kid. There is a bit of a ‘thing’ amongst Hawaiian quilters about whether you should share patterns or not. I think Hawaiian quilting is such a dying art that anything that spreads it should be encouraged.
For your patterns, there are some books of patterns. Try Elizabeth Root’s ‘Hawaiian Quilting: Instructions and Full-Size Patterns for 20 blocks’
I actually have that book and am using the pineapple pattern for a quilted ukulele case. The detail in your pattern is lovely.
Still haven’t finished the pillow, though there’s probably less than 4 hours of stitching left…
I love your little Hawaiian quilt so much that I have pinned it on my board! Very beautiful and obviously made with love. I mostly machine sew and quilt but I too have some side hand work that will take forever I am sure. I totally understand your fetish.
Your quilt is very nice. You did a beautiful job. Love your cat also!
I have wanted to something like this so seeing your quilt has spurred me along!
Thanks for sharing.
Hello, do you sell them?
It takes hundreds of hours to make a Hawaiian quilt, so if I charged standard skilled handsewing rates it would be over $10,000 for even a baby quilt. So if you are willing to pay that I’m happy to, but otherwise no! 🙂
Love the soft colours of this one. Very lovely.
Love this quilt, can you tell me where i could find this pattern?
Thanks! This is my own personal pattern, so it’s not available anywhere.
I love this quilt! I come from a mixed family of Hawaiians and Mennonites and I learned to knit and quilt from my Mennonite grandmother and aunt. It only recently occurred to me I could probably translate some of that skill and explore some of my Hawaiian heritage 🙂 Anyways, just wanted to say this quilt has inspired me to move Hawaiian quilting from my future-projects pile to my current projects pile. I figure I can put in sneak in some hand sewing hours in between cosplay projects and on planes/in lines.