Sometimes you just have to go with the flow. We were scheduled to have a day off from quilting this Saturday March 4 because the room we usually have class in will be used for another palace function. But my day off was short lived when the Bishop Museum called and invited us to have our class there in their Atherton Halau. So ladies we’re having quilting class. If you haven’t made other plans come and join us at the oldest museum in Hawaii. The Atherton Halau is located right outside the Bishop Museums main building near the entrance and gift shop. You will need to pay parking or there’s a lot of street parking just outside the museum grounds. Hope to see all of you there. I hope the ladies who called about class this Saturday will able to come after all.
Feb 282017
…That it’s time to put away that needle and thread and breakout the sewing machine. Our amazing and wonderful Margaret e-mailed me this photo of her last hand-made quilt. She explained that her fingers are too painful to do any type of hand sewing and quilting. Her story is not the first time I’ve heard it and it won’t be the last. We all get to that stage when our eyesight is not what it use to be and our fingers just won’t make the fine stitches we once knew but it’s okay, the legacy of the many quilts you made will live on for many generations. Margaret’s last quilt is the Kahili, Hawai’s Royal Standards and I heard Margaret has a lucky friend, whose going to receive this quilt. Many aloha and blessings to you Margaret… now get that machine started… Design by John Serrao
So I spent the day doing the graphics on another of John’s 45″x 45″ pattern books. I love doing it. It’s like a puzzle that slowly reveals itself. I start by taking a picture of the 1/8 pattern and uploading it to my computer. I then use a photo program to color in the pattern and then with another program slowly double the 1/8 design to a quarter design, then the quarter becomes a half design and before you know it the half design is now a full design. It’s amazing. So today I thought I’d share one of the designs I worked on for John. When I first finished it I asked John, ” What were you thinking?” All he said was, “Oh! that’s the old family Loi(Taro Patch) in Laie.” The whole family would come together to work and clean the Lo’i. It was a family affair. The Kalo or Taro plant therefore came to symbolize family. Yet, another story quilt of memories of old. Hope you enjoy the design. 32 Taro Leaves….
I’m beginning to think that’s Pat’s motto, Challenge Yourself. She’s always challenging herself to do more, climb higher, make the impossible…ha!. Yep make the impossible here’s Pat’s next quilt design, The Hapuu Fern. I don’t think anyone else would have taken this challenge. I can’t wait to see the progress on this quilt. Hey Pat… keep us updated. 
Prepping your large quilt for quilting by layering your backing fabric, batting and top fabric can be overwhelming. Take your time and by using the grid basting procedure it will stop your batting from shifting and stop your quilt backing from puckering. Joyce the quilt is beautiful I can’t wait to see it quilted. Monsterra Design by John Serrao. Applique by Joyce Kuwada.
