When master quilter Charlene Hughes chose pieces to represent Hawai'i in the "Quilts for Obama" exhibit opening in Washington, D.C., today, she picked one Hawaiian-style quilt, with a coat of arms in royal red and yellow.

The other, "Kapa Apana," shows Hawai'i culture in a different light: women of five different ethnicities sitting around a quilting table. "I kind of think that was what Hawai'i was all about. They're working harmoniously on something beautiful," said Hughes, of the quilt that includes the Hawaii Quilt Guild motto: "Na Po'e Humukuiki O Hawai'i" (literally, the people who cut out designs).

Modestly pointing out that she is just one of many talented quilters in Hawai'i, Hughes said only a matter of being in the right place at the right time led to her being asked to submit quilts for the exhibit, which includes about 60 others from quilters in communities that influenced President-elect Barack Obama on his way to the White House.

According to the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., the quilt exhibit guest-curated by Roland L. Freeman celebrates the inauguration with "visual silent testimonies of joy, and will join the chorus of 'Yes We Can.'"

The quilts will be displayed through Feb. 1.