Tivaevae manu (applique quilt)

A quilt designer’s inspiration can come from her own environment or ideas, another woman, or even another country. In making this tīvaevae, Jasmine Underhill was heavily influenced by Hawaiian quilts known as ‘kapa’.

How can we tell? One clue is the blue jade flower – a popular Hawaiian motif. Another is the symmetrical layout around a piko (central point), and the lei (border) of the same colour. The design that Underhill used was given to her by late Hawaiian quilter Deborah Kakali‘a.