Hawaii has developed a distinctive quilt style, characterized by complex, symmetrical appliques, most often of native Hawaiian plants and flowers. I just love them because the designs are complex, but done in only a few colors.
In other words perfect for needlepoint.
Last week, Martha Stewart had a post about creating Hawaiian quilt cutouts on one of her blogs. It has four templates to choose from. The applique ones seem a little small to me for needlepoint so I’d enlarge them when I made the copy and then trace them onto canvas. Use a dye-based or permanent marker made for fabric to color in the “applique” and stitch away. I think simple stitches show off these designs the best.
But what if you don’t want to make your own design?
My friend, Keri Duke, makes lovely small ornaments of Hawaiian quilt designs, based on some of her own quilts. I’ve stitched one of them and have some others in my stash. The designs are charming.
Needlepoint, Etc, a shop in Honolulu, has simpler Hawaiian quilt designs, painted onto canvas in several sizes. I’ve stitched some of these and they are tons of fun.
Whatever you decide, these needlepoint designs are fun to stitch and can take you back to Hawaii or let you go on a mini-vacation in the midst of a busy life.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
I found these much easier to stitch if you treated each quadrant as it’s own individual piece. I rotated the stitches in each section so that they could properly orient with the prevailing diagonal.
https://threadsofdesire.blogspot.com/2007/05/pineapple-quilt-finished.html
I have some great Hawaiian floral cross stitch designs that would make a great quilt.
I love the 16 block Hawaiian quilt and would like to get the patterns . Not in needlepoint , but to quilt. Were can I purchase them?
I’m not sure. There are several books on Hawaiian quilting with patterns in them (including and inexpensive one from Dover). THere are also many designers of Hawaiian quilts, so you might do a Google search for Hawaiian quilt pattens.
HTH.
Keep stitching,
Janet
Can you tell me where you got the image for that 16 block quilt (above)? Did someone you know make it?
It was something I found on the Internet. It’s a typical example of the sampler quilt style applied to Hawaiian quilts. Because typically Hawaiian quilts are either whole-quilt applique or large blocks, this looks as if it has reduced the size of many of the blocks. I’m sure if you looked for Hawaiian quilt samplers you could find both patterns and books.
Keep Stitching,
Janet
you can get all the patterns from Poakalani Hawaiian Quilt Cushion Patterns & Designs they have 4 books, I have them all and do all my Hawaiian designs from them, am actually making a quilt using them now as I speak. Great Patterns.
Aloha, where can I buy the needlepoint quilt sampler? Just love it. Mahalo, Nancy Null on Kauai
The one pictured in the post is a picture of an actual quilt, but I don’t know anything about the design.
Dover has several books on Hawaiian quilt patterns that look similar to this, so if you are looking for an actual quilt pattern, I would start there.
Keri, the designer of the needlepoint also pictured in the post has a lovely quilt sampler that includes nine blocks in this style. Her designs are distributed by Treglown Designs and can be ordered through any needlepoint store.
Keep stitching,
Janet