Vintage Hawaiian Fabrics

A friend gave me a trunk load of her mom's fabric and other sewing items, thinking I could offer it to my quilting friends. Mind you, my friend is my age - well past Social Security start age! Anyway, most of it wasn't quilt related, but I was so intrigued with a box of "Hawaiian Print Quilt Patches."

300 Quilt Squares (4") from Hawaiian shirt remnants

My grandson and I separated these yesterday by color and pattern. I have 18 different piles.

I can actually date these by the info on the side of the box. These were sold in a shop called Hukilau Fashions, Honolulu. The phone number does NOT have an area code. Area codes were introduced in Hawaii in 1957, two years before they became a state. Therefore, these cotton squares are at least 63 years old!

Now, you may be thinking: What is she going to do with these? I had a thought last night and a Trip Around the World quilt came to mind. But, first it depends on the numbers in each pile when it comes to planning.

I made a Trip Around the World quilt last Fall using some specialty motifs called Sunburst. Maybe you remember it from October. Squares are 13 x 13 rows.

Sunburst Trip Around the World

I did some calculations this morning and found out that I can get 17 rows across and 17 rows down which uses 289 squares. They are 4" unfinished. IF this works out, my quilt center will be 59" x 59". But it all depends on how many squares are in each pile in that photo at the top of the page. So, we're counting those to see how they will fit into something like my quilt above. Will keep you posted!

Here is my quick digital idea. Of course, the colors are not correct, but it tells me how many of each color/fabric I will need. This is 17 squares wide by 17 squares high.

Digital concept for a 17 x 17 square quilt center

One last thought: Can you imagine how wild and showy the Hawaiian shirts were that these came from? I've never been to Hawaii, but being from California, I have seen quite a few of those beautiful creations.