WAIMEA — Leslie Davis of Salem, Oregon chatted with passers by as they compared, not only the quilts and the weather, but how much Waimea reminds them of Oregon. Davis manned a table fronting the Waimea Bakery and Deli across
WAIMEA — Leslie Davis of Salem, Oregon chatted with passers by as they compared, not only the quilts and the weather, but how much Waimea reminds them of Oregon.
Davis manned a table fronting the Waimea Bakery and Deli across from the Hoffgard Park in the center of Waimea at the first Waimea Outdoor Quilt Festival that was held Saturday.
Davis, a graduate of Waimea High School, was home for a visit with her mother, JoAnn Hamamura, one of the co-chairs for the festival.
Davis said the lure of Po‘ipu Beach was too much, so her quilt was not ready for this festival, but she came out in person to help man the various stations set up around town.
Quilts came from around the island and were displayed along specially-strung lines at the park fronting First Hawaiian Bank as well as from balconies and eaves of businesses throughout the town of Waimea.
“Don’t forget to check out the Tech Center,” one visitor reminded people.
They have three quilts hanging there, as well as a painting by Fred Tangalin celebrating all the quilters. “Aunty Waialeale Quilting” is the name of the piece created by Tangalin who said, “I painted it to portray the spirit of the quilters of Kaua‘i. Quilting is an art, and art needs an audience. It needs to enrich people’s lives.”
Davis noted that her mom, on a visit to the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Festival (in Oregon), was inspired by what took place there, and brought the idea back to Kaua‘i. Organizers hope to make it an annual affair.
Some of the participating vendors went the extra step by embellishing their quilt displays with creations of their own, such as a seated granny figure that watched over the quilts at Wrangler’s Restaurant. A contingent from Nana’s House manned a station across from Subway Sandwiches.
Under warm skies, cooled by trades, people were able to check out the different quilts as well as shop for sewn crafts, and even chat with quilters who seem to gravitate to those vendors offering various quilting supplies.
As Art and Sue Stone of San Diego, Calif. purchased a kimono telephone caddy, Josephine Dela Torre, the sewing instructor for the Waimea Senior Centers and creator of the caddy, noted that this is the sixth year she’s offered the popular item which always seems to sell out.
Dela Torre noted that she teaches seniors at her Friday class and is looking for more seniors who want to sew. All of Dela Torre’s “senior students” were on hand Saturday at the festival, although, most were strewn out at various locations in town. Dela Torre said interested people can check them out at the Waimea Senior Center on Friday mornings from 8 to 11.
