After visiting friends and family during a West Coast vacation in 1993, Valerie Puanani Ching Pursel wanted to find some way to repay their kindness. She made them kihei pili, a bed coverlet -- "cooler than a comforter and warmer than a sheet" -- she stitched from two layers of sheets. Covered in history
ohana stylePursel didn't stop sewing until her obligations were fulfilled, and even then, she didn't want to stop. She ended up making 60 kihei pili in all, many as Christmas gifts for friends and family here as well.
With husband David's encouragement, she now has a business -- Kihei Pili by Val -- making coverlets, tablecloths, shams and pillow cases in a variety of Hawaiian print fabric.
"The kihei pili has historical significance for local families," she said. "They were stitched by hand and passed down from generation to generation. I think I'm the first one making them commercially."
But Pursel's is no factory operation. She and a friend still sew them on home machines.
"There's a part of me in everything I make. A lot of them are given as wedding presents," she said, "so it's a special gift. I would want to present someone with something I would want myself."
The newest addition to her line are place mats which she designed to package in a lauhala box with her own Chinoiserie salad dressings.
Among those carrying Pursel's kihei pili are Martin & MacArthur, Hawaiian Heritage, Executive Chef, Island Provisions, Kauila Maxwell, Queen Emma Summer Palace, Coconut Grove General Store, Old Waialae Road, A Gift for All Seasons, It's Chili in Hawaii (chile motif only), Hale Ku'ai and Bishop Museum.
Place mats run $10 to $13 each, tablecloths are about $130, kihei pili run $67 to $85 in baby sizes up to $240 to $320 for king size. Most locations have a swatch book for custom orders as well. Call 1-800-73-EARTH for more information.
Nadine Kam, Star-Bulletin.