The Hawaiian Quilt: A Unique American Art Form covers the entire history and design evolution of this art form, and lays out its evolution through several significant changes in design and technique. Previous books on the topic of Hawaiian quilts acknowledge that patchwork quilting came to Hawaii in 1820 and that the large applique form of Hawaiian quilting was established in 1880. The shift from one form of quilting to the other is monumental. But, the design evolution over those sixty years has eluded most authors before now. Most acknowledge that information on that time period seems to be nonexistent. Hawaii's major museums only have two quilts from the mid-nineteenth century. Records from this time period are scarce, and many are only recently being translated into English from native Hawaiian. Dr. Arthur delves into this patchwork and successfully stitches the important missing pieces together to bring to life the complete history of Hawaiian quilting. [back cover]