Designed by: John Serrao Appliqued and Quilted by Naomi Kemble

Naomi an active member of our quilting class one day asked my father to design a quilt with only three dolphins. This was a highly unusual request because quilts are designed in halves, fours, eighths etc. An odd number changes the designing method usually used, but Naomi was emphatic that the quilt had to encompass only three dolphins. She also had another unusual request that no questions be asked who the quilt was made for. Naomi completed the King size quilt in 6 months . After the quilt was complete she explained the meaning of the quilt.

Naomi had a nephew that was very ill in the hospital and was not expected to live much longer. He requested his aunt Naomi to make a quilt for him to be given to his mother(Naomi's sister). The quilt with three dolphins represented himself and his two brothers. His two brothers passed away a couple of years before from an illness and accident. He was the last and only child left in his family. Two hours after Naomi showed the completed quilt to her nephew he passed away. At the memorial service Naomi presented the quilt to her sister from their son. After much illness and tragedy the three brothers are now free and with each other as shown in the representation of the three dolphins on the quilt. Today the quilt is on the bed in her sisters home and everyday when her sister and husband see 's the quilt they remember only the good times.

Memorial quilts are a rare treasure.

In the lower part of Nuuanu, lived a young girl and her mother. She lost her father a year after her birth, so her life was centered around her mother. They lived in a modest home with a lanai and a fairly large yard. It was a happy home. Across the narrow street, their only view was a cemetery. A few feet into the cemetery stood the most beautiful plumeria tree.

Every Saturday, this nine year old girl would get her basket and run into the cemetery to gather her plumeria blossoms to make leis for her hula school or hula halau. They were the entertainers on boat days at the pier where they danced when the ship landed in the morning and when it sailed out in the afternoon. This little girl couldn't wait for Saturdays because it gave her great pleasure to pick the fragrant plumeria blossoms. Whenever she finished she would always place a flower blossom on the graves surrounding the tree. This went on for months.

What puzzled her mother was how the girl was able to reach the flowers at the top of the tree because a plumeria branch is very weak. The little girl would answer by saying that her friends helped her. They would tell her which branches were weak and which ones were strong enough to hold her. She also revealed that as soon as she put her basket down the flowers at the top would gently float into the basket. Still her mother kept wondering who her daughters friends were.

One Friday while walking home from school the girl noticed the caretakers cleaning the cemetery. This was a familiar sight because the cemetery was always being cleaned. The next day just before the sun came up, as usual it was the time to pick her flowers. She reached for her basket and started out the front door. Soon a loud cry was heard by her mother who thought her daughter has fallen and was hurt. "Look," she cried, "the caretakers cut the tree down." Her mother could feel the sadness in her daughters voice. To cheer her up her mother pointed to another tree nearby. "No, she said" that tree was special for me and my friends. I do not want to dance anymore." As the days went by her mother began to notice her daughters withdrawal from everyone and everything that she enjoyed. She remained in her room but appeared only when her mother needed her.

Seeing her little girl's sadness she decided to design and sew a quilt capturing the beauty of the tree that her daughter loved so dearly. While away at school her mother secretly worked all day long each day, hoping that it would bring back the happiness and joy in her daughters life. After three months of sewing, the quilt was completed. One day when her daughter returned from school her mother surprised her with a gift. As she unwrapped the paper her eyes glowed with tears that lightened up her face. "The tree! The tree!" she shouted. You preserved it on a quilt. She lovingly kissed her mother and asked if she could show it to her friends.

When the Hawaiians first saw the pineapple many of them thought it was another form of the Hawaiian Hala tree. They were quite amazed that when the pineapple was opened it provided a delicious fruit unlike the Hawaiian Hala which was used for dyes and medicine. Because of the pineapple's resemblance to the Hawaiian Hala, the Hawaiians gave it the name Hala Kahiki, meaing Hala from a foreign place.

The pineapple was Hawaii's major industry next to sugar and later tourism. It was the pineapple industry that put Hawaii on the map to prosperity in the early 1900's. The pineapple became so popular that tourist came to associate the pineapple as a Hawaiian fruit.The pineapple has always been a popular design among quilters and I am fortunate enough to have a pineapple quilt designed, appliqued and quilted by my grandmother. Her love still lives on in this quilt.

Sometimes when we choose a design we are not aware of its significance until after the quilt is complete. Call it spiritual, a premonition, or even a coincidence just remember some things are just meant to be.

Back in the early 1930's my great-grandmother visited America for the very first time. After spending many days at sea on a ocean liner she had her first glimpse of the United States of America. She couldn't believe its beauty. The first flowers she saw were the daisies and she fell in love with the American Eagle the symbol of America. The large land mass and the great big mountains was nothing like the small islands she came from. At this time she fell in love not only with the United States but also its beauty and its people.

When she returned home she designed a quilt called the "Kanani O Amelika", The design itself is very unique. The design depicts the flowers that she first saw when visiting America which were the daisies, she also placed the eagles in the corner of the quilts. The quilt encompassed everything she loved about America. Although she never made a quilt with the design this pattern was designed in memory of her trip to America. Little did we know that years later this quilt would be of great significance to other quilters.

In 1990 Elsie Enos one of Hawaii's best quilting artist decided to quilt her first Hawaiian quilt wall-hanging. After making several cushion tops she decided it was time to go onto a bigger quilting project. While most quilters love floral and sea life themes Elsie decided to quilt a design adapted from a full-size quilt that my great-grandmother designed. She decided to quilt the pattern called "Kanani O Amelika" she wasn't sure why she decided on this pattern only that this was the pattern she wanted to make.

Elsie's quilt is designed with four Floral vases holding the daisy flowers, the flowers that she saw in the original quilt "Kanani O' Amelika", even though the quilt did not incorporate all the Symbols of America like the original quilt the meaning did not change nor the name of the quilt. After Elsie finished her quilt the beauty of it was breathtaking and the stitching was better than most expert quilting I have seen. The funny story about the quilt is that when you asked Elsie why she chose that design she actually didn't know.

In 1991 America entered into the Persian Gulf War and Elsie's son was sent to fight in the war. It was at this time that the significance of the quilt design came to light. The quilt held hope that her son who was fighting in a war would come home safely. It symbolized everything that is good about America and being Americans. Fighting for freedom, independence and especially for world peace. The meaning of the quilt she made is called "THE BEAUTY OF AMERICA," Her son is home now but the quilt will always hold a special meaning. A time when she too prayed for the safe return of her son and especially how fortunate we are being part of the United States of America.