Hawaiian Quilting with Nancy Lee Chong

Pineapples, white sand beaches, intricate quilts, tiki torches, floral leis, Don Ho and "Tiny Bubbles." For many visitors, this sums up a trip to Hawaii. But quilts? Quilts are a cultural icon of the Amish, not the Hawaiians, right? Wrong! Hawaii has a longstanding quilting tradition with designs as detailed and colorful as anything you'd find at a rural Pennsylvania quilting bee. The first recorded account of quilting in Hawaii hails from 1820, when a group of missionary wives shared with the royal Hawaiian women their sewing traditions; soon after, Hawaiians made the art their own, relying on appliqué techniques and taking inspiration from nature for their designs (common patterns include ginger leis and plumeria flowers). In this video, Nancy Lee Chong, a veteran Hawaiian quilt maker, shares her tips and tricks for turning out beautiful appliqué quilts, serving up detailed instructions on fabric preparation, needleturn appliqué, echo quilting, and binding. Nicely organized and easy-to-follow, with complete supply lists provided before each lesson, this in-depth program, which includes a pattern for the Ulu breadfruit design, is recommended. Aud: P. (J. Asala)