Next Steps In The Hawaiian Quilting Saga

The easy part of my first Hawaiian quilt block is now over; the applique process went very quickly, and as such I have started second and third pieces.  I'm now quite sure that needle-turning is one of my favorite sewing techniques - something I certainly didn't expect during my first two hours of this project! 

Next comes the more challenging part of the work - quilting the block by hand.  As this 22" block was intended for use as a throw pillow cover, I went ahead and made a sandwich of the applique piece, organic cotton quilt batting, and the backing broadcloth.

To secure the "quilt sandwich," I basted 1/2 inch from the edge all around the block.  To keep the piece from shifting or bunching during hand quilting, I also basted diagonally and in quarters across the entire square.  It was then ready to be put into my new 14" hand quilting hoop.

I started hand quilting in the center of the motif, and I'll be working my way outward to keep the work even as I go.  This is by far the most difficult part of the process for me, as I rarely sew with a thimble and as such I'm not yet used to having a chunk of metal on my fingertip.  The rocking motion of the quilt stitch is also taking some getting used to, as well as trying to focus on stabbing through all of the layers of the sandwich.  My stitches are uneven, but I'm sticking with it!  I can only get better at hand quilting the more I stitch!

My First Adventures In Hawaiian Quilting

You know that you're addicted to sewing when you take your quilting with you on vacation to the Big Island of Hawaii.  ...and what better project to take than a Hawaiian appliqued quilt block?  In case you aren't familiar with Hawaiian quilting, there is a great history and a lot of resources for you over at Poakalani.net (they also publish a wonderful series of pattern books that include instructions).  Simply stated, the Hawaiian quilting tradition that is practiced today arose from the teaching of traditional western applique quilting techniques to the islanders of Hawaii, who then combined this western technique with traditional Polynesian tapa cloth motifs.

My first project is a 22" sampler, which will be used as a throw pillow sham when complete.  The artwork starts with a 1/8th pie segment template that is used to cut the folded cotton, much as you would a tissue paper snowflake.  The design of this block is the Guava pattern by Apapane Quilting; you can see my work in the first stages, with the light yellow applique aligned on the creased backing fabric:

The next step in the applique process is to thoroughly hand-baste the applique fabric onto the backing.  I've basted loosely in the middle, just enough to keep things in place while I stitch:

No hoops are used while sewing the applique to the backing.  Here I am using a hand-sewing needle to needle-turn the edges of the applique under 1/8" and stitch by hand with a tiny pick stitch all the way around the motif.  Initially the turning was difficult and not as smooth as I'd like, but my stitches and turns are looking better as I near completion of the applique process!

Here you can see some of the finished applique work - mostly tidy, but the parts that are a little rough won't look as obvious after the next step of hand-quilting.  I'm loving the summery colors of citron and pale yellow here - bright reminders of breezy, sunny days stitching on the lanai!