Intention and mindfulness are essential to the successful creation of a Hawaiian quilt. When completed, a quilt is given a name to bring its purpose to life. For master quilter Patricia Lei Murray, this process is just as important as the product. “Once a pattern has been decided and dedicated, the meditation begins,” says Lei Murray, who has been quilting for more than 40 years. “There is a quiet prayer at the cutting and deep breaths supporting the progress. Once the pattern is cut and laid folded at the piko (center), the quilt is born.” These projects often take years. Even a small quilt requires thousands of intricate stitches done by hand. During the process, an intimate relationship is formed, and the individual’s mana becomes imbued in the quilt.
Hawaiians were already fluent in the language of textile art when missionaries introduced the technique of quilting to Hawai‘i at the end of the 19th century. Kapa was the traditional Hawaiian barkcloth fabric made by pounding wauke (paper mulberry) into a pliable cloth and stamping it with inked patterns using ‘ohe kāpala, or hand-carved bamboo stamps. These delicate tapestries were used for everything from clothing to bed coverings to burial wrappings. As native attire gave way to Victorian-style fashion, traditional kapa moe (bed coverings) transformed into heavier Hawaiian quilts adorned with patterns featuring native foliage.
“I believe Hawaiian women were interested in bringing nature into their homes in a larger way and instinctively figured out a way to do this,” Lei Murray says. She recalls a beloved origin story about a woman laying her sheets in the sun under an ‘ulu (breadfruit) tree, detailing how the leaves and fruit cast shadows upon sheets. This inspired the woman to create the first Hawaiian quilt pattern, the ‘ulu. This plant is not only significant as a staple food throughout Polynesia, but also symbolic: the Hawaiian word ‘ulu means “abundance and growth.”
Though quilting is often solitary, connections among practitioners are nurtured. Lei Murray began her journey in the craft as a young mother when she connected with quilting via continued education courses at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama. “Every quilt has a story,” she says. “I learned from the early kūpuna that each quilt receives mana, or power from the quilter, with thoughts of aloha quietly stitched into the echoes of the pattern.” Lei Murray’s natural talent for quilting blossomed and soon she was creating her own pieces, like a treasured quilt in honor of Hawaiian women during the Overthrow when the Hawaiian flag was lowered from ‘Iolani Palace. She named it “Ku‘u Hae Aloha Mau” (“My Beloved Flag Forever”). The quilt is displayed proudly at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as a reminder of the strength and unity of the Hawaiian Kingdom and all it has endured.
In 2013, Lei Murray began teaching courses at the Honolulu Museum of Art School, where she met quilter Kanani Reppun, one of her earliest students. “It is definitely meditative, in that I’m very focused,” Reppun explains. “I can sit in a room and quietly quilt for hours, or I can do so in the presence of my quilting sisters where we express aloha to our quilts.” Thirty-year-old quilter Pat Gorelangton is a member of The Poakalani and Co. Hawai‘i Quilting Guild led by the late master quilters Althea Poakalani Serrao and husband John Serrao. Gorelangton quilts an estimated 10 hours a day at home and looks forward to sharing her pieces at the weekly Poakalani gatherings. “It has certainly taught me creativity,” she says. “I’m so happy with myself when I can come up with a design that is pleasing to me as well as pleasing to others, because I often try to put a more modern twist.”
Though the quilters are purists when it comes to technique, their love for the artform welcomes modern applications and opportunities. Lei Murray was approached by Amber Thibaut, owner of keiki clothing company Coco Moon, to design a pattern for a baby blanket that would pay homage to the artform but be printed atop buttery-soft bamboo fabric. “I didn’t want to just mimic the style of a Hawaiian quilt,” Thibaut says. “I wanted to truly bring it to life by working with a master quilter who could infuse it with love, tradition, and care.” Lei Murray employed the same handcrafted approach to the process. The resulting print is thoughtfully detailed, down to its graphically rendered stitches, and is a heartwarming nod to tradition, with the patterned ‘ulu symbolizing the nurturing of growing babies and families.
“The secret to success in Hawaiian quilting is to love the process,” Lei Murray says. She and her fellow quilters seek to share this process, including the tradition of Hawaiian quilting and the values the discipline has imparted. Gorelangton embraces modern platforms such as Poakalani and Co.’s website and her personal Instagram page (@hawaiianquiltsbypat) to display her work and connect with others. “The practice of quilting has given me a true appreciation for this art,” Gorelangton says. “I love the tactile process, the stories and the connections that I’ve made. It’s amazing and very fulfilling.”
A single quilt requires thousands of intricate stitches fastened by hand and often takes years to complete.
Quilting not only connects fragments of fabric, but a tight-knit community of practitioners. Above, Pat Gorelangton and Patricia Lei Murray.
An author of multiple books about sewing and the culture of Hawai‘i, Patricia Lei Murray considers quilting to be a meditative experience.
Quilter Kanani Reppun enjoys the sense of clarity that guides each stitch.
“I learned from the early kūpuna that each quilt receives mana, or power from the quilter, with thoughts of aloha quietly stitched into the echoes of the pattern.” — Patricia Lei Murray, master quilter
The ‘ulu (breadfruit) is one of the earliest Hawaiian quilt patterns.
Intention and mindfulness are essential to the successful creation of a Hawaiian quilt. When completed, a quilt is given a name to bring its purpose to life. For master quilter Patricia Lei Murray, this process is just as important as the product. “Once a pattern has been decided and dedicated, the meditation begins,” says Lei Murray, who has been quilting for more than 40 years. “There is a quiet prayer at the cutting and deep breaths supporting the progress. Once the pattern is cut and laid folded at the piko (center), the quilt is born.” These projects often take years. Even a small quilt requires thousands of intricate stitches done by hand. During the process, an intimate relationship is formed, and the individual’s mana becomes imbued in the quilt.
Hawaiians were already fluent in the language of textile art when missionaries introduced the technique of quilting to Hawai‘i at the end of the 19th century. Kapa was the traditional Hawaiian barkcloth fabric made by pounding wauke (paper mulberry) into a pliable cloth and stamping it with inked patterns using ‘ohe kāpala, or hand-carved bamboo stamps. These delicate tapestries were used for everything from clothing to bed coverings to burial wrappings. As native attire gave way to Victorian-style fashion, traditional kapa moe (bed coverings) transformed into heavier Hawaiian quilts adorned with patterns featuring native foliage.
“I believe Hawaiian women were interested in bringing nature into their homes in a larger way and instinctively figured out a way to do this,” Lei Murray says. She recalls a beloved origin story about a woman laying her sheets in the sun under an ‘ulu (breadfruit) tree, detailing how the leaves and fruit cast shadows upon sheets. This inspired the woman to create the first Hawaiian quilt pattern, the ‘ulu. This plant is not only significant as a staple food throughout Polynesia, but also symbolic: the Hawaiian word ‘ulu means “abundance and growth.”
Though quilting is often solitary, connections among practitioners are nurtured. Lei Murray began her journey in the craft as a young mother when she connected with quilting via continued education courses at Kamehameha Schools Kapālama. “Every quilt has a story,” she says. “I learned from the early kūpuna that each quilt receives mana, or power from the quilter, with thoughts of aloha quietly stitched into the echoes of the pattern.” Lei Murray’s natural talent for quilting blossomed and soon she was creating her own pieces, like a treasured quilt in honor of Hawaiian women during the Overthrow when the Hawaiian flag was lowered from ‘Iolani Palace. She named it “Ku‘u Hae Aloha Mau” (“My Beloved Flag Forever”). The quilt is displayed proudly at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as a reminder of the strength and unity of the Hawaiian Kingdom and all it has endured.
In 2013, Lei Murray began teaching courses at the Honolulu Museum of Art School, where she met quilter Kanani Reppun, one of her earliest students. “It is definitely meditative, in that I’m very focused,” Reppun explains. “I can sit in a room and quietly quilt for hours, or I can do so in the presence of my quilting sisters where we express aloha to our quilts.” Thirty-year-old quilter Pat Gorelangton is a member of The Poakalani and Co. Hawai‘i Quilting Guild led by the late master quilters Althea Poakalani Serrao and husband John Serrao. Gorelangton quilts an estimated 10 hours a day at home and looks forward to sharing her pieces at the weekly Poakalani gatherings. “It has certainly taught me creativity,” she says. “I’m so happy with myself when I can come up with a design that is pleasing to me as well as pleasing to others, because I often try to put a more modern twist.”
Though the quilters are purists when it comes to technique, their love for the artform welcomes modern applications and opportunities. Lei Murray was approached by Amber Thibaut, owner of keiki clothing company Coco Moon, to design a pattern for a baby blanket that would pay homage to the artform but be printed atop buttery-soft bamboo fabric. “I didn’t want to just mimic the style of a Hawaiian quilt,” Thibaut says. “I wanted to truly bring it to life by working with a master quilter who could infuse it with love, tradition, and care.” Lei Murray employed the same handcrafted approach to the process. The resulting print is thoughtfully detailed, down to its graphically rendered stitches, and is a heartwarming nod to tradition, with the patterned ‘ulu symbolizing the nurturing of growing babies and families.
“The secret to success in Hawaiian quilting is to love the process,” Lei Murray says. She and her fellow quilters seek to share this process, including the tradition of Hawaiian quilting and the values the discipline has imparted. Gorelangton embraces modern platforms such as Poakalani and Co.’s website and her personal Instagram page (@hawaiianquiltsbypat) to display her work and connect with others. “The practice of quilting has given me a true appreciation for this art,” Gorelangton says. “I love the tactile process, the stories and the connections that I’ve made. It’s amazing and very fulfilling.”
Share: