Garden Isle Quilters Exhibit and Sale opens, runs through Aug. 26

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Quilter Julie Fregeau explains how she is taking pieces left over from creating one quilt to create a new quilt Saturday during the Garden Isle Quilters Exhibit and Sale at the Kaua‘i Society of Artists gallery at Kukui Grove Center in Lihu‘e.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Quilter Julie Fregeau explains one of the quilts on exhibit to a group of admirers Saturday at the Kaua‘i Society of Artists gallery where the Garden Isle Quilters are hosting a six-day Quilt Exhibit and Sale, at Kukui Grove Center in Lihu‘e.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

The five quilters from Garden Isle Quilters, from left Jeni Harding, Toni Wass, Lesley Morris, Lea Ingram and Julie Fregeau, beam at the Meet the Quilters reception that turned into a birthday party celebrating Wass’s birthday Friday at the opening of the Garden Isle Quilters Quilt Exhibit and Sale at the Kaua‘i Society of Artists gallery at Kukui Grove Center in Lihu‘e.

Samira Siale, the director of the Hawai‘i Lodging &Tourism Association Kaua‘i branch, said she only learned of the Garden Isle Quilters Exhibit and Sale when she had to answer a question for a visitor, Saturday at Kukui Grove Center.

“This lady from Oregon was asking,” Siale said while helping people with the Kaua‘i Visitor Industry Charity Walk fundraising efforts. “I didn’t know until she asked. I thought it was just a bunch of balloons behind us.”

The balloons are left over from Friday’s opening Meet the Quilters reception that opened the six-day run of the exhibit and sale at the Kaua‘i Society of Artists gallery, sandwiched between Small Fry and Bubbah’s Toy Box near the Keiki Korner play area.

“This was Toni Wass’s birthday,” said Lea Ingram, one of the five participating quilters in the exhibit. “This was supposed to be Meet the Quilters, but when everyone found out it was Toni’s birthday, everything turned into a birthday party for Toni.”

During the exhibit and sale that runs through Aug. 26, several, if not all, of the five participating quilters — Wass, Ingram, Jeni Harding, Julie Fregeau and Lesley Morris — will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to talk about the quilts that range from everyday to fine-art pieces.

“We have been selling some quilts,” said Ingram, whose fine-art mermaid quilt sported a red dot indicative of it being spoken for. “It’s been busy from the time we opened. I guess people have been waiting for this.”

The exhibit started out with 100 quilts representing the work of the five participating quilters. As quilts leave for new homes, there is sufficient supply to replenish the vacancy on the wall with new quilts.

“These quilts are ready to go,” Ingram said. “We do accept credit cards, and for those new quilt owners from the mainland, we are able to arrange shipping.”

The exhibit and sale is available for in-person viewing daily through Aug. 26, with adherence to COVID-19 health and safety guidelines that include face masks must be worn, social distancing observed, and no large gatherings.

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