ALOHA

SO MUCH ALOHA SURROUNDS HAWAIIAN QUILTIN, LOVE FOR THE RECIPIENT LOVE OF THE PATTERNS, LOVE OF THE PROCESS, LOVE FOR THE QUILTMAKER AND LOVE FOR THE HISTORY OF QUILTING
HAWAIIAN QUILTER, PAT GORELANGTON

Native Hawaiian quilter Pat Gorelangton has a special tradition that’s integral to her quiltmaking. After the very last stitch has been made, she sleeps under the quilt for one night, so that her ‘mana’ (spirit) becomes part of the quilt. This intangible connection between the quiltmaker, the quilt and the recipient is as important in the creation of Hawaiian quilts as the physical, creative process. Every stitch is imbued with ‘aloha’, meaning love, compassion, peace and mercy. The 200 year-old tradition of Hawaiian appliquéd quilts is a great example of the cultural melding of textile traditions – in this instance, the beautiful Polynesian ‘kapa’ cloths made from bark cloth, with the patchwork quilts of the