I’ve finally ventured beyond signs and made a mahogany paradise box on my XXL. I live in Hawaii so I carved the front, back, and top with three different, actual tapa cloth patterns. I took photos of tapa cloth, cleaned them up, and converted them to curves in VCarve Pro, so the patterns are imperfect because the tapa cloth was imperfect, which is, of course, perfect. Finished in Danish oil. Of course, all I can see are the flaws… 
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Now thats impressive - really nice work!!!
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Thanks so much for that!
Beautiful wood and a gorgeous final product! Nice job!
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I have given this advise before.
When you show your work or give it to someone do not point out the mistakes. The person receiving the gift will like it.
When I build my living quarters everytime I walk into a room I can point out the mistakes I made. However no one else sees them and I dont point them out.
Enjoy your work and remember the flaws are features.
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WOW that is beautiful work. What is the species, Koa?
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I need to try this, I’ve only tried simple clipart images. Do you have the original photos still, just curious about the before or after.
That looks awesome though, and imperfections just add character and give it that personal touch 
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Beautiful and inspiring work, thanks for sharing and motivating us to raise our own level of quality!
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“Design Modifications” 
Thanks! I’m sorry but all I can find are the files that I’ve cleaned-up. In any case what worked best for me was a nice, tight pattern and a shallow carve. Lots of kapa/tapa images on Google though. Note that the cloth goes by different names depending on geographical origin, the plant used, and the pattern, so you can expand your search with the correct terms. Generally…
Hawaii = Kapa or Tapa
Tahiti = Ahu
Fiji = Masi
Tonga = Ngtu
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Mahogany, which is much less expensive than anything other than pine (interestingly, although I can easily get monkeypod or koa right down the road from me, it’s almost impossible to get maple). Now that I’ve got this mahogany one finished I might venture into exotic tropicals, although they remain expensive for experimentation. I’ve got a beautiful 6/4 10’ x 10" chunk of mango that was $230 and so far all I’ve had the nerve to do is the attached sign for somebody’s wedding. It’s finished only with Danish oil. I’ve also got some primavera recovered from the removal of a tree on the University of Hawaii campus that’s awaiting a plan.
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Be careful with tropical wood. Be sure you clean your self off before entering the house. Some of these woods cause allergic reactions. You could put your family in danger by taking the saw dust in the house. Plus it puts you at danger. Many people do not get allergic at first. Over time you can develop allergic reactions that can be quite serious. Be sure to use dust collection and wear a proper mask during cutting. Also be care during cleanup if any dust has escaped into the shop. Wear your mask. Does wear a mask sound familiar.
Breathing saw dust is never good and exotics are a level of danger above domestic woods.
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Thanks for the info!
I love it, would look lovely in my office , stunning piece of work
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That is great … will you be making more boxes than signs ??? ha ha ha
A lovely wood and he design suits it. Well done
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When I was in Hawaii (2002-2004), I would find some magnificent hi quality curly maple at Home Depot. I mean exhibition grade. And it was still cheaper than anywhere else and having it shipped. I would spend hours looking at the edge grain to find something with curl. Also found a 12’x12” red oak with some really nice curl in it. Now in Arizona I can’t find squat with curl usually. So you might start making trips and find out when they receive wood.
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I really like the overall design and the carvings. Very well done!
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This is a show stopper. Nice work!!!
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I spent some time at the Iwilei Home Depot last weekend and sadly their selection was poor. What good-looking wood they had was far too narrow to be useful without glue-up, and there was no maple at all. An all around disappointment. I’m headed out to Waimanalo Wood on Saturday to see what they’ve got as far as monkey pod, koa, and mango in 3/4. It appears that Home Depot hardwood availability has gone downhill in your absence. :-/
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