Quilts on Display in Honolulu

The Hawaii Quilt Guild is holding its annual show at Linekona Art Academy, 1111 Victoria St., Honolulu, May 11-20, 2012. All the quilts on display are impressive and clearly a labor of love, but these were some of my favorites. I apologize for the poor quality on some of these photos. I was trying not to use my flash, trying to back up far enough to get the whole quilt in the picture, trying to see as many as I could before my meter expired, and/or just not paying good enough attention to what I was actually getting in the frame! You get the general idea though, and if you are in the area, it's a nice (air-conditioned!) break from the hustle and bustle of the city. Stop by, be impressed and inspired, and vote for your favorite. 

"My Blue Hawaii" -Wendy Pulsifer

I don't know how you tie-dye a gecko pattern, but Wendy figured it out!

"Traveling Flower Garden/Grandmother's Flower Garden" -Patricia Lei Murray

There are more than 6,000 pieces in this quilt, all of which were hand pieced 100 years ago in Germany by Marie Baumgarten. Patricia is hand quilting it for Marie's great grandchildren. 

These African and Japanese prints are the front and back of the same quilt, "The Best of Two Worlds" by Linda Dayag.

"My Father's Garden" -Jeannie Salmon

I love Jeannie's story about learning to design by going out into her yard and picking flowers to trace. Her father only loved anthuriums. 

Did you know you could send a fabric postcard? Designs by Barbara Vasold, Sharon Nakasone, Mary Harmon, Ann Boring, Joan Apana, and Arlene Adams.

"Hawaiian Monsterra" -Pat Gorelangton (design by John Serrao)

I love the colors and the design on this!

What's more powerful, good or bad?

In Nymeth's review of 84, Charing Cross Road, she says, "...this is a book I will read when I need to be reminded, as we all do sometimes, that yes, people can in fact be very kind to one another. It's not that I want to ignore the fact that they can be awful too, but sometimes I just need a book that will make me smile all the way through."

This is how I felt about Same Kind of Different as Me, (which I reviewed here). That along with

Ali's good deed from years ago, along with her review of Striving for Greatness got me thinking about what's more important-happy, uplifting stories about people doing good things out of the kindness of their hearts or through their strength in their faith, stories that inspire us to this kind of action ourselves or stories about the atrocities people can inflict on one another, stories that anger us, shock us, sadden us, and make us want to stand up and take action against such behavior.

Is one type of story more effective than another? Does it depend on the reader or the particular acts being discussed? Is a story about cruelty to animals more likely to move someone to action than a story about people who rescue animals? Alternately, is a story about humanitarian efforts in a foreign country more likely to inspire support than a story telling about the atrocities perpetrated by a warlord in that same country?

What do you think? Have you read a book, seen a movie, heard an interview that inspired you to take action to make the world a better place, even if it just means smiling more to strangers on the street or not being as snippy with telemarketers? Or maybe even made you go to church or volunteer to do something outside of your comfort zone? Was it because you were inspired by the good in others or scared by the bad? Did you want to stand up and join in or stand up and fight?

Ultimately, I suppose we need both, the good and the bad, to remind us that both are still out there. We need the good to keep us from becoming cynical, jaded, and hopeless; we need the bad to keep us from becoming complacent, ... well, that's about all I can come up with. What do ya'll think?