Traditional Colors in Hawaiian Quilts

Traditional Hawaiian quilts are two colors and feature an elaborate appliqué motif. Unlike modern-day quilts, the traditional quilts are hand appliquéd, and then quilted by hand in a shadowing technique with hand-sewn binding.

Two-Color Rule

Traditional Hawaiian quilts are two colors. Folklore states that using more than two colors is bad luck. Fabrics used were plain colors, and not patterned.

Traditional Colors

According to the Quilts Hawaii website, traditional colors for a Hawaiian quilt include white and red. Quilting fabric was hand-dyed with the bark of mulberry trees and plants dyes.

Fact

Many traditional and recent Hawaiian quilts have been purposely destroyed. It is a tradition in Hawaii to burn quilts after the quilter has passed. According to the Quilter's Muse Virtual Museum, the Hawaii Documentation Project is attempting to stop this tradition.

References

• Quilter's Muse Virtual Museum: Hawaiian Style Quilting Experience
• Quilting Assistant: Quilt Types : Appliqué - The Traditional Way
• Women Folk: Quilt History of Hawaii
• Quilts Hawaii: A Little Quilt History...The Hawaiian Way