{"product_id":"2940014037303","title":"Quilting Revealed 101","description":"Quilting is as old as the hills, and for many, has\u003cbr\u003ethat wonderful combination of domestic necessity,\u003cbr\u003esocial cohesion, and craftwork and commemoration.\u003cbr\u003eQuilting methods don’t vary enormously throughout\u003cbr\u003ethe world, but the designs are largely specific to\u003cbr\u003ea country, or a society, although the traditional\u003cbr\u003eAmerican patchwork designs have become loved world\u003cbr\u003ewide.\u003cbr\u003eIt is wonderful to have such a craft, which is a\u003cbr\u003emeans of handing down traditions amongst womenfolk\u003cbr\u003emainly, and which has an end product that can both\u003cbr\u003elook beautiful, and keep you warm at night.\u003cbr\u003eAn exception to this is of course the Hawaiian\u003cbr\u003equilting tradition, which began under the tutelage\u003cbr\u003eof the missionaries, and evolved into a means of\u003cbr\u003erecording the Hawaiian beliefs and lives. Their\u003cbr\u003equilts talk of their gods, their departed spirits,\u003cbr\u003ethe new members of their society yet to be born,\u003cbr\u003eand the main historical and cultural events of\u003cbr\u003etheir society. Their use of the beautiful flowers\u003cbr\u003eand the love of their culture gives Hawaiian\u003cbr\u003equilting a truly magical and precious quality.\u003cbr\u003eIn colder climates, the quilting circle was an\u003cbr\u003eopportunity for the women to come together, to talk\u003cbr\u003eover the major matters of the day and to provide\u003cbr\u003einvaluable support for each other.\u003cbr\u003eThe new settlers in The United States of America\u003cbr\u003ewere hardy and tough. Most of them had to start\u003cbr\u003efrom scratch. Homes had to be built, and\u003cbr\u003efurnished, and in these days, nearly everything had\u003cbr\u003eto be grown or made.\u003cbr\u003eNeedlework was a very necessary skill for a woman.\u003cbr\u003eWithout this, they would not be able to make their\u003cbr\u003eclothes, and would not be able to make the soft\u003cbr\u003efurnishings that not only ‘make a house into a\u003cbr\u003ehome’, but are necessary for keeping out draughts\u003cbr\u003efrom windows and doors, and for keeping everyone\u003cbr\u003ewarm at night.\u003cbr\u003eWhen societies became more established and there\u003cbr\u003ewas money and time available, the quilting circle\u003cbr\u003ewould make quilts to commemorate certain events,\u003cbr\u003eand together produce really large quilts that would\u003cbr\u003eadorn the walls of the buildings that served as\u003cbr\u003ecommunity centers.\u003cbr\u003eAnd of course, the social network was invaluable.\u003cbr\u003eThe older women would pass on their skills as\u003cbr\u003eneedlewomen, and designers of quilts and other\u003cbr\u003ecrafts. More importantly, they would pass on the\u003cbr\u003einvaluable knowledge about family life.\u003cbr\u003eChildbirth, medicines for common ailments, cooking\u003cbr\u003eand how to grow herbs and vegetables – this was the\u003cbr\u003esub-text, and the very important function of the\u003cbr\u003equilting circle.\u003cbr\u003eClearly in different times, and different places,\u003cbr\u003ethe women would have different topics that would\u003cbr\u003edominate the quilting circles’ conversations.\u003cbr\u003eThe quilting circle was common place. It was\u003cbr\u003enecessary, it was helpful and social, and it\u003cbr\u003eproduced wonderful pieces of work for individuals\u003cbr\u003eand for communities.\u003cbr\u003eThese days, many women live in relative social\u003cbr\u003eisolation. Perhaps more so within the much more\u003cbr\u003eheavily populated urban environments where most of\u003cbr\u003eus live.\u003cbr\u003eMaybe we should rekindle the spark – and start new\u003cbr\u003equilting circles – everywhere!!\u003cbr\u003eChapter One –\u003cbr\u003eThe History of Quilting\u003cbr\u003eHawaii\u003cbr\u003eHawaiian quilting is said to have started when the\u003cbr\u003ewives of two chiefs were introduced to quilting by\u003cbr\u003emissionaries on board a boat. Hawaiians would not\u003cbr\u003enaturally have begun to quilt for domestic use, as\u003cbr\u003equilts were not needed in the warm Hawaiian\u003cbr\u003eclimate.\u003cbr\u003eThe missionaries showed the Hawaiians how to cut up\u003cbr\u003efabrics into pieces and then sew them back\u003cbr\u003etogether. This the Hawaiians found rather\u003cbr\u003ewasteful, as they were careful with all their\u003cbr\u003eresources and didn’t understand the concept of\u003cbr\u003ecutting up a large piece of material, only to sew\u003cbr\u003epieces of it back together, and then be left with\u003cbr\u003ebits that couldn’t be used.\u003cbr\u003eEventually, the Hawaiians found a way of using\u003cbr\u003etheir own clothing fabric (called tapa) which they\u003cbr\u003efolded to achieve 1\/4 or 1\/8 patterns, and they\u003cbr\u003egave any waste pieces back to the missionaries for\u003cbr\u003ethem to use in their own quilting. This tapa was\u003cbr\u003efrom tree bark.\u003cbr\u003eThe unique nature of the Hawaiian quilting is clear\u003cbr\u003ein their use of local flora, and the spirit world\u003cbr\u003eas design influences for their quilts.\u003cbr\u003eConceptually, they used quilts to record their\u003cbr\u003eenvironment, their departed love ones, and their\u003cbr\u003estill to be born. Their quilts were also strongly\u003cbr\u003eabout the Hawaiian identity and the identity of the\u003cbr\u003eindividual members of their society.\u003cbr\u003eThe Hawaiian Gods, their rites and ceremonies, and\u003cbr\u003etheir history, are all depicted in the wonderful\u003cbr\u003eHawaiian quilts. Local events and major historical\u003cbr\u003eevents were all beautifully detailed and preserved\u003cbr\u003ein their quilts. In fact, all their quilts have a\u003cbr\u003estory to tell, or","brand":"99 \u0026cent; eStore, save to buy more","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47152763207920,"sku":"2940014037303","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940014037303_p0.jpg?v=1763599473","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940014037303","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}