HAWAIIAN
STYLE QUILTS® PLANT AND FLOWER DIRECTORY
HSQ
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flowers and plants used as patterns...each title will link back to the quilt
ANTHURIUM
Although not indigenous to the Hawaiian islands, the
Anthurium is probably most recognized as a
flower of the islands.
In recent years this flower has been cultivated to reflect almost every
color of the rainbow including snow whites with hints of green and pink to a
very deep and rich black. The
smallest flower is an inch in diameter and the largest measures twelve or more
inches.
BIRDS
OF PARADISE
Bird of Paradise (Strelitziacea) a large beautiful flowering plant is
native to South Africa. The blossom has several sets of blossoms within
its stalk. As each blossoms withers, simply remove the pedals and pull out
another, or have a couple out at a time. As a cut flower it will last for
weeks and makes a beautiful tropical arrangement. The plant should be
grown in full sunlight, however it has been known to grow in shade.
Cultivators have even made a black and white blossom.
BOMBAX
The bombax tree
(Bombax ellipticum) blossoms emerge
from January to May and it is said that the buds open with a bursting sound.
The tree can grow up to 100 feet and all the leaves drop before the flowers
open. It is a majestic sight in all stages of its growth.
‘ULU
(BREADFRUIT)
‘Ulu or breadfruit (Artocarpus
altilis).
The breadfruit serves many functions.
It is used for shade, food (the fruit when cooked tastes something like
sweet potato), wooden objects and is a significant design source for Hawaiian
quilting.
In reference to the beginnings of Hawaiian quilting, one often hears the
story of a woman who upon seeing the shadow of breadfruit leaves cast upon a
sheet, traced the outlines, cut it out, and appliquéd the pattern to a plain
backing.
It is believed that from this prototype, the bold, vegetative Hawaiian
quilt designs flourished.
It is also told that if the first quilt one makes is of the ‘ulu pattern, one’s talents will be abundant.
HIBISCUS
This flower although not indigenous to the
Hawaiian Islands is considered to be the flower of Hawai’i.
So much so it was designated as the State Flower.
This prolific hardy woody plant produces blossoms all year long.
Blossoms range from one inch to over twelve inches.
One can buy cuttings as a souvenir.
GINGER LEI
Here we see the strength and beauty of this
wonderful flower.
Most pattern names are given by the designer, sometimes the person who
does the quilting and sometimes by a relative.
Most families of Hawaiian heritage will not share their designs with
others. Those that do share believe that their ‘aina will bring all peoples closer together and give freely of all
their gifts from God.
LAUWA’E or LAUA’E
Lauwa’e
is a very fragrant fern (Phymatosorus scolopendria), one of the most common plants found in
Polynesia that grows from sea level to the mountains. When the fern is crushed its fragrance is like that of the
maile.
The lauwa’e or
laua’e is another plant that is used in many ways for lei making.
LEHUA
Lehua
is the flower of the ‘ohi’a tree (Metrosideros
collina), one of the most common plants found in Polynesia that grows from
sea level to the mountains. The lehua is recognized by its bright scarlet (or sometimes yellow)
clusters of flowers bearing numerous long stamens. According to Hawaiian legend, this delicate flower is sacred
to Pele, goddess of fire and volcano, who resides on Mount Kilauea. Islanders
say when one goes to the mountains to gather flowers, lehua should be picked only on the return journey, otherwise an
offended Pele will envelope that person in rain and mist.
A garland or lei made of lehua
is said to be Pele’s favorite. The
combination of red and yellow may be intended as a reference to the colors of
the ancient Hawaiian feather capes and cloaks which were symbols of monarchy.
The lehua can be used in every stage
of bloom and growth in the making of a lei.
MAILE
(not pictured) AND ILIMA LEI
Maile (Alyxia oliviformis) is a twining
vine or a sprawling shrub. The leaves are smooth and glossy, dark green on top
and paler underneath. The leaves and bark have a pleasant fragrance (similar to
that of vanilla) which is released when crushed or twisted. Ilima (Sida
fallax) is the flower of the island of Oahu and is a very popular lei
flower. The flowers are strung into a lei and takes several hundreds of the
paper thin blossoms to make a single lei.
PAPAYA
The papaya is native to Central America although it is claimed by many Asian and
Polynesian cultures. You can find a papaya tree or trees growing in almost
every yard in Hawai'i as it is easy to propagate from the seeds of each fruit.
The tree can grow up to 30 feet and the leaves up to 3 feet in diameter.
It needs a male and female plant to propagate unless you have one that is
bisexual. It is also used as a meat tenderizer because papaya is a prime
source of papain enzyme. There are as many recipes for green papaya as
there are for the ripe papaya, both styles very tasty!
PROTEA
This quilt’s design depicts two of Hawai’i’s most fragrant
flowers used in lei making, the (pikake)
or Arabian jasmine (Jasminum sambac)
and the tuberose (kupaloke), both
white in color. Princess Ka’iulani
was fond of peacocks (pikake) as well
as the jasmine so she gave the flower the same name, pikake. This design is
often mistaken for another fragrant flower, the pua kinikini, which starts off
white and turns orange. This design
is also liken to the wedding ring patch quilt.
PINEAPPLE
The pineapple is a member of the
family Bromeliaceae which has 2,000 species, most
ornamental. Native to southern Brazil and Paraguay (perhaps especially the Parana-Paraguay River) area where wild relatives occur, the pineapple was
apparently domesticated by the Indians and carried by them up through South and
Central America to Mexico and the West Indies long before the arrival of
Europeans. Christopher Columbus and his shipmates saw the pineapple for the
first time on the island of Guadeloupe in 1493 and then again in Panama in 1502.
Caribbean Indians placed pineapples or pineapple crowns outside the entrances to
their dwellings as symbols of friendship and hospitality. Europeans adopted the
motif and the fruit was represented in carvings over doorways in Spain, England,
and later in New England for many years. The plant has become naturalized in
Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Trinidad.
SILVER SWORD
The bold lines and choices of colors of this quilt represent
Maui’s distinctive plant, the silver sword.
Once growing in such abundance on the slopes of Mount Haleakala as to make the
landscape look like winter bathed in moonlight, this endemic plant is now on the
verge of extinction and has aroused the concern of naturalists.
The silvery, hairy leaves give rise to the plant’s name,
‘ahinahina, meaning gray in Hawaiian.
TIARE TAHITI
(TAHITIAN FLOWER)
Approximately
fifteen Tifaifai Pa’oti or Tifaifai
Tapiri (designs created from one piece of fabric) are extremely popular in
the Society Islands. One of these,
perhaps the most popular of all, is the “Tahitian Flower” (Tiare Tahiti).
Almost invariably, a woman creates the design in white on green to
imitate the natural color of the flower. While
the color combination of the tifaifai rarely varies, there are endless
individual interpretations of the flower motif.
There are similar variations for all popular appliqué designs throughout
eastern Polynesia.
WATER LILY (LOTUS
BLOSSOM)
There are many varieties of the lotus blossom as well as many color variations.
There are several good books Quilts in Paradise for one that have a good history of how and why of Hawaiian legends. Hawaii is the only state in the union that was a monarchy with a King and Queen and a palace. The haole or white man who coveted the Hawaiian Islands overthrew the Hawaiian monarchy.
Fifty years ago when my grandmother, Anna, taught me to quilt it was with bed sheets. It was the most economical way of making quilts. Although I found more creativity in making the traditional American and European quilts, Hawaiian quilting has come into using the new materials and become more vibrant and innovative. I have over 3,000 designs or patterns and create at least one a week. Although it is impossible to quilt all the designs I "see" it is fun to be creative with the many material produced today. If I go by a tree or a bush or a flower or a fish tank or a mom and baby inevitably a design will "pop" out. Many people who think they cannot do hand quilting can now make the Hawaiian quilt designs on their machines as we have turned all our designs into digitized products. And for those who don't want to do either we are now creating embossed transfers and working with laser equipment to transfer onto wood, glass, plastic and material.
Hawaiian Style Quilts® is a home-based company. My husband Allen and I do all the promoting and developing of our products. Our daughter, Kris and I started our quilt company full time when she decided to buy her own place. And to think I used to give all my quilts and baby items away. When Allen retired and became my manager and coordinator, Hawaiian Style Quilts® ventured out to other crafts and crafts persons. Our international business started on the Internet when it first became available to home users. It was a simple page, 4 quilts only being offered in 3 different colors and sizes. A good portion of our business is done at craft fairs around the island of Oahu and from our home. We do some wholesaling to other small companies.