QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-7413

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

97.0015 AIQP

If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:

1997:72.1

Object label:

Hawaiian Flag
Harriet Soong and Sharon Balai
Native Hawaiian, Waimea and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
1997
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#1997:72.1

Essay:

The Hawaiian flag was first designed for King Kamehameha I prior to 1816. Expressing their allegiance to Hawaiian sovereignty, Hawaiians began making quilts, named Ku'u Hae Aloha (My Beloved Flag). Balai and Soong felt strongly that a flag quilt should be in the exhibition "To Honor and Comfort: Native Quilting Tradtions". The motto "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono" translated in English as "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness."

From Great Lakes, Great Quilts.

Quilt's title:

Hawaiian Flag

Owner's name for the quilt:

Hawaiian Flag

Subject of the quilt:

Hawaiian history

Names for quilt's pattern in common use:

Pictorial Applique

Quilt top made by:

Balai, Sharon; Soong, Soong, Harriet Momilani Kimseu

Quilted by:

Balai, Sharon; Soong, Harriet Momilani Kimseu

Other people who worked on this quilt:

Balai, Sharon

If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?

Received as a gift

Where the quilt was made, state:

Hawaii (HI)

Time period:

1976-1999

When was the quilt started?

1997

When was the quilt finished?

1997

Why was the quilt made?

Gift or presentation

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

Quiltmaker's gender:

Female

Quiltmaker's city:

Kailua-Kona

Quiltmaker's state:

Hawaii (HI)

Quiltmaker's ethnic background/tribal affiliation:

Hawaiian; Native American

Does/did the quiltmaker belong to a group? Name of the group?

Ka Hui Kapa Apana O Waimea

This is a:

Finished quilt

How wide is the quilt?

54

How long is the quilt?

56

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Red; Yellow; White

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

Quilt's condition:

Excellent/like new

Type of inscription:

Message

What is inscribed on the quilt?

UA MAU KE EA O KA AINA I KA PONO

Method used to make the inscription:

Embroidery

Describe the quilt's layout:

Medallion or framed center

Number of quilt blocks:

5

Size of quilt blocks:

center medallion (27" x 27") surrounded by four flags set in a log cabin style

Medallion size:

27 x 27

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Describe the quilt setting:

center medallion (27" x 27") surrounded by four flags set in a log cabin style

Number of different block patterns used in the quilt:

2

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Piecing techniques used to make the quilt top:

Machine Piecing

Can you feel or see paper on the quilt that was used as a construction aid?

no

Applique techniques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Applique

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

Embellishments used:

Cotton thread

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

3

Describe the back:

Same fabric used throughout

Materials used in the quilt binding:

Cotton

Fabric structure of the binding:

Plain weave

What is the width of the binding (measure on the top only)?

less than a half inch

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

Cotton

How thick is the quilt?

Medium (3/16?)

How are the layers held together?

Hand quilting

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 1:

8

Number of quilting stitches per inch, place 2:

9

Can you see any knots on the front or back of the quilt?

no

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Grid square; Outline; Single parallel lines

Quilting designs used, background fills:

Parallel lines

Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:

This Hawaiian flag quilt features the Hawaiian Coat of Arms which was adopted in 1845 and appears on the gates on the Iolani Palace in Honolulu. Originally the center shield of the Coat of Arms was divided into four quarters with the stripes of the national banner in two opposite quarters. In the remaining quarters were taboo balls and sticks (pulo'ulo'u). This shield was topped by the royal crown and flanked by two warrior chiefs wearing feather cloaks and helmets: Kammanawa at left and Kame'eiamoki at right. The motto "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono" translates in English as "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness."

Where did the maker get their materials?

Purchased new

Where did the maker find their pattern?

Public domain/traditional pattern

Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:

Interview with quilter Audiotape Photos of quilter

Person filling out this form is:

Quilt owner

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public- Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's name:

Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's city:

East Lansing

Quilt owner's county:

Ingham

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Gift

Describe anything about the history of the quilt that wasn't already recorded in a previous field:

Balai and Soong felt strongly that a flag quilt should be in the exhibition "To Honor and Comfort: Native Quilting Traditions" as well as in the Native quilt collection at Michigan State University Museum. They surprised the MSU Museum with the gift of this quilt.

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

The quilt was made to be used for:

Artwork/wall hanging

Who photographed this quilt?

Photo by Fumio Ichikawa

Copyright holder:

MSU Board of Trustees