Question: I no longer am able to sew. I have a lot of high-quality material I would like to donate to a group that could make good use of it. Are there such groups in Hawaii?
Answer: The Hawaii Quilt Guild welcomes donations of usable cotton or cotton poly fabrics, which are then used to make a host of items beyond quilts.
Donations can be offered by emailing Guild President MaryAnn Bufalini at HQG_President@yahoo.com.
An active part of the organization is community service through "Na Lima Aloha" ("Hands That Love"), where members take on projects ranging from making large quilts for new Habitat for Humanity homes; twin quilts for Wounded Warriors; comfort quilts –with photos of the family sewn in — for children whose military parents are deployed; and hundreds of lap blankets, bibs and walker bags for nursing home residents and care facilities, Bufalini said.
Additionally, "we provide quilts for Fisher House at Tripler hospital; pillowcases, pillows and quilts for the Children’s Justice Center and Shriners Hospital; pillowcases for the state hospitals; quilts for ALS patients and the women’s shelters; and isolette blankets for preemies," she said.
On National Quilting Day, March 21, guild members "quilted all day" for children of the Liliuokalani Children’s Center in Kaneohe, providing quilts, pillows and pillowcases.
The Hawaii Quilt Guild was founded in 1984 and has more than 200 members.
While members contribute fabrics on their own, Bufalini said more fabric always is welcome so that the guild’s budget can be used to purchase flannel, as backing.
"Often the projects are actually ‘Kihei Pili,’ two sides of fabric joined into a lightweight blanket, without the batting used by quilters," she said.
Bufalini’s passion for quilting is obvious in her description of quilting and the love quilters have for fabrics: "Quilters are usually ‘fabricholics,’ having a serious passion for fabrics."
She also explained that quilters traditionally give away their creations, "and the modern day quilter is no exception."
Bufalini invites the public to visit the quilting exhibit "Aia ka Pu’uwai i Ku’u ‘Ohana ("My Heart Is With My Family") at the Honolulu Museum of Art School (formerly Linekona School), May 8 to 17. Admission is free.
"The members of the Hawaii Quilt Guild welcome everyone to experience the joy and excitement that beautiful art brings," she said.
For more information on the guild, go to hawaiiquiltguild.com.
Question: Recently I ordered some products from Walmart online for a total of $265.37, but when I went to check out, I was assessed a Hawaii surcharge of $274.10. With "free shipping" the total order was $539.47. What is this surcharge?
Answer: The Walmart website says it assesses the $1-per-pound surcharge for shipments to Hawaii and Alaska "regardless of the shipping cost."
Without an order number, Bao Nguyen, spokesman for Walmart Global eCommerce, said he couldn’t comment specifically on your charge.
But in general, he said the company’s policy is to charge a shipping surcharge to cover the increased shipping costs incurred from parcel carriers for shipments outside the mainland.
"We don’t profit from the charges, and they’re not calculated as a percentage of sales — it’s based on the weight of the package as determined by our carriers," Nguyen said. "It’s a common practice in online shopping, and we often charge less than our competitors. Also, we list out the surcharges in the order for our customers, while some competitors don’t."
Mahalo
And deepest gratitude to the gentleman who found my wallet in the Don Quijote Kaheka Street parking garage. He so kindly left it at Central Pacific Bank in McCully. Mahalo also to the bank manager who called me. May that gentleman be forever blessed. — C.N.
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
