Quilting also provided a way to record history. Many an event - the birth of a king, the new accessories of a queen, the royal symbols, the finding of pearls in Hawaiian waters, the first gas lights in the royal palace - was put into a design and lovingly quilted by the Hawaiian women. Many of these quilts were then presented as gifts to the ruling monarchy - some, fortunately, remain in collections today.

 

Probably the most revered pattern, which was designed and quilted in many ways, was "My Beloved Flag". With the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893, the Hawaiian flag was lowered. The Hawaiian people, fearing that they would never see their flag again, put its design, often combined with other symbols of royalty, into a pattern, which was quilted and kept out of sight in many homes. The more daring made reversible quilts and canopies for their beds - on one side a traditional Hawaiian pattern and on the other - boldly quilted their Hawaiian flag.

Hence, the advent of Hawaiian quilting has been more than the amassing of a collection of strikingly, beautiful designs. On the surface it has been the evolvement of an entirely unique method of quilting. Underlying, it is the embodiment of the spirit of a people, rich in creativity and sensitivity, who have shared, through this art form, not only their history and personal observations - but also their feelings and sentiments during a time in their lives, filled with extraordinary change and emotion.