Hawaiian Memories

I found this wallhanging kit at one of my most favorite quilt stores, Quilt Passions of Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i. I made it first for my Aunt & Uncle, to commemorate our trip (with my parents) to Big Island, Hawai'i in March 2011:

Hawaiian Memories Wallhanging, Jessop-Taylor Trip 2011.

The kit contained all of the fabric (except for the binding & back), including the Quilt Passions custom turtle batik for the border. I used Printed Treasures to inkjet our trip pictures onto fabric, cut & pieced the wallhanging, sandwiched with Warm & Natural batting, and did minimal quilting with stitching in the ditch.

To commemorate my parents' time on Big Island when I lived in Hilo, I recently made a second wall-hanging using the same kit pattern:

Hawaiian Memories Wallhanging, Jessops 2006-2008.

I used a slightly larger border, and sandwiched with fusible fleece batting. I've been experimenting a lot lately with fusible battings, with mixed results. In this case the quilting process was easier, and I did less quilting, but I don't like the way some of the fabric of the top ripples from being glued down. I think from now on I'm going to go back to tried-and-true pinning for sandwiching. I found the 22-inch quilt hanger at Joann.com. Below are close up shots of each of the three blocks in the wallhanging:

Close up of top block, clockwise from top left: Holly & Mom in the marine science lab; Dad & Holly at Richardson Beach Park in Hilo; Lava entering the ocean near Kalapana; Mom & Dad at Waipio Valley Overlook. Middle: Mom, Dad, & Holly at the rim of Halema'uma'u Crater.

Close up of middle block: Hanging loose with the shaka sign in Pahala.

Close up of lower block, clockwise from top left: Dad at Kilauea Iki Overlook; Mom with Pele at Kilauea Art Center; Dad & Mom at the Kailua-Kona Coffee Festival; Dad on the Kona Coast. Middle: Holly at Pololu Valley Overlook.

Printing photos onto fabric was a rather frustrating endeavor. The sheets would often jam, rendering them unusable -- which was a rather expensive loss at $3+ per sheet. And, the photos would not always print in the location expected on the fabric sheet, despite trial and error using regular paper first. I used PhotoShop to darken the photos a bit before printing, because they tended to look a little washed out printed on fabric. Despite these difficulties, I'm glad I persevered with the photo printing! Our wallhanging is now hanging in the entryway.