The Sunday Sunshine is happy to be part of a special launch by Cathleen Nardi, owner of Quiloha. Cathleen creates a beautiful product you might not be familiar with called a quillo. A quillo is a lap quilt that folds into a pillow.

Cathleen learned how to sew quillos from a neighbor when she moved to Hawaii to care for her mother-in-law, but the experience became so much more. Cathleen shared with me more about the birth of her creative business, Quiloha:

Being a caregiver in Hawaii teaches you so much more than patience, because you are less encumbered by the hustle and bustle of the Mainland. Through yoga, I learned to embrace the idea of opening to grace. Through my mentor Yvonne, who taught me the art of quillo making, I have learned the importance of selfless giving. Through the land and culture of Hawaii, I have learned a gentle peace and calmness that is embodied in the quillos that I sew.

Quiloha was born out of a desire to practice creativity in my life. It offered me a vehicle to express myself through fabric. The passion continued as I realized that, not only were these beautiful gifts, they were practical as well.

My wish for Quiloha is to spread Aloha one quillo at a time.

You recently left Hawaii. Has that move changed how you create?

When I moved to the Gulf Coast of Florida last year (who would have known that 2 weeks later the world would change forever) it took me some time before I began making quillos again. 

My art is an extension of who I am, so it changes as I change.  The one constant that hasn’t changed is my desire to share compassion and aloha through my quillos. I often say, “when there are no words, send a quillo.” I had to find new fabric stores, new inspiration, and determine how I could re-imagine Quiloha to reflect all these changes in my life and in the world.  

I discovered through reflection that the core value of my work has not changed; just evolved and become more focussed.

You use beautiful fabrics! I am excited for your new Hope Collection. Tell me a bit about how you set creative goals.

Typically, I set goals at the beginning of the year, starting with my word of the year. 2021 is the year of HOPE. I set goals around my relationships, my personal practice of yoga and meditation, and goals for the growth of Quiloha.  

There are four areas that I am currently exploring and hope to develop over the coming year:

• The personal benefits of my daily meditation routine.

• The deep meaning in the symbol of the Nautilus, which I am working with to redesign the Quiloha logo.

• The incorporation of Jin Shin (Touch Therapy) and Crystal Therapy into the making of blankets. I use these healing arts to sew intentions for each individual recipient of a quillo.

• Collaboration with other Artists. I am developing relationships with artists who design and create their own fabric to use in the making of my quillos. This community and connection fuels my desire to connect with other artists and to support each other’s work.

The fabric used in the quillo for this week’s giveaway was designed and donated by fellow artist, Robin Mead. 

I met Cathleen during a course by my mentor Carrie Brummer at Artist Strong called The Circle. Some of us were there for artistic development, and some for business growth. How did you make the decision to sell quillos? 

After I had given a quillo to everyone in my family, I realized I needed a creative outlet that would fuel my desire to practice creativity. The Circle encouraged me to create a platform to sell quillos online in a way that reflects my personal values.

Does marketing or creating for an audience impact your creative process?  

I like to think that marketing and creating for an audience is part of my creative process.

I typically create a video twice a year looking back at all the art that I have created during the year. I have also become a multimedia artist, as I find that working in other media improves my ability to work with color, to select complimentary fabric, and to collaborate with other artists. This retrospective gives the viewer a window on my creative process.

Was there original art in your home growing up?

Yes. There was a beautiful abstract of the ocean that hung in the living room. My family has always been ‘ocean’ and ‘water’ people, and that has definitely influenced my art. We also had the famous Boris O’Klein prints in the bathrooms. They were given to us by my grandmother who had a wicked sense of humor. 

What inspired your creativity? Did you need permission to become a creator?  

It was my grandmother’s influence that plucked my creative chord. We would sit for hours together doing decoupage, which is the first medium of artistic expression that I learned. It is slow and meticulous work, but the outcomes are always satisfying. I don’t need permission to become a creator, because I believe that creativity is part of being a human being. We just need to get in touch with our creative self and stop saying “I’m just not creative.”

Why do you value your own artistic practice? 

Creativity has opened an inner dialogue with my soul. It encourages me to be my authentic self, to be curious, to be courageous, and to be vulnerable. I keep art journals for this very reason. When I need inspiration, I love to look through old journals and see the incredible progression. Creativity is definitely a muscle, and it takes practice, patience, and forgiveness to keep it toned. 

How do purchases of your artwork benefit you?  

For every 10 quillos that I sell, I donate a quillo to someone in need through my program “Spread the Aloha.” Not only does this make me feelgood, it makes the recipient feel good. When I share with my community, we all feel that we have made the world a better place.

Cathleen has generously offered a quillo using the fabrics of Robin Mead. The image above is the design.
This giveaway has ended, but we would still love to hear from you!

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY: 

1. Subscribe! 
You can subscribe to Cathleen’s Monthly Quiloha Newsletter HERE
OR 
You can join my monthly Studio Update. 
(OR BOTH) 

2. Comment! 
Comment on this blog/journal post. Or, just say hello!

Subscribe & comment by March 28th to enter the giveaway!

I hope that you’ve enjoyed learning a little bit about quillos and Cathleen’s business, Quiloha. You can learn A LOT more information and some videos on her website. You can follow Quiloha on IG @quiloha. Please continue to join me as I host more artists on The Sunday Sunshine series in the Artist's Journal. You can also find the dates for current & upcoming giveaways, poossible pop-up sales & exhibitions, and upcoming guest blogs by clicking on EVENTS.

Tia Sunshine

If we haven’t met, you can read more about me in my journal HERE and HERE, or visit my Welcome/About with the button below.

This series is inspired by the Artists Sunday campaign that started last year. While I am not a huge fan of specific shopping days, I am a fan of encouraging individuals to buy from artists. This series is my way of participating in the spirit of the movement. www.artistssunday.com

Artists Sunday is "a nationwide art-shopping movement with more than 4,300 members. Participants include 500+ local communities, including arts agencies, cities, counties, state agencies, chambers of commerce, and organizations and 3,800+ individual artists." Their mission is "to encourage consumers to shop with their favorite local artists and craftsmen during the holiday season. Artists Sunday takes place the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Think of it like Black Friday or Small Business Saturday but for the arts. New members are joining daily."

Upcoming features in The Sunday Sunshine include award winning photographer Matruka Sherman.

Have you heard of a quillo before today? Tell us who you know that would love an individually created lap quilt that folds into a pillow.