In 2015, I was approached by a woman in Kailua-Kona, who was in the process of furnishing her new home in Kaupulehu Estates. Sally had seen my quilt work and inquired whether I would make a quilt for a bedroom wall. She had no design preferences.

We talked and shared stories. I learned of the recent passing of her beloved Golden Retriever, Makai. In sharing her story, Sally recounted the long sad night when she sat up and held Makai as he took his final breaths.

During those hours, Sally and Makai reclined together on the lanai in the inner courtyard. In one moment of grieving, Sally gazed up and saw a prized potted hibiscus. The plant had been neglected and nearly died during a long absence. There in the final moments of Makai’s life, the hibiscus had opened its first majestic bloom.

I had my quilt design. Sally’s showy hibiscus dominates the central motif, while the Queen’s kokiʻo ʻula fills the quilt’s lei. In the four corners, I portrayed images of Makai, shadow-quilted in the loving hands of his owner.

I devote my quilting to making kapa moe (bed quilts). This rare departure wall–hanging quilt was made and sold in 2016 for $6,000.00.