Quilting in Alaska
Quilting in Alaska is more than a pastime for many, many women in this state. Communities of any size have quilting as part of its make up. There are wonderful little quilting shops all over Alaska. These quilt shops offer camaraderie as well as a place to meet and socialize with other quilters. Fabrics of beautiful colors beckon quilters to come in and take home another fat quarter to add to their stash. Unique quilting patterns with themes found only in Alaska—Eskimo children in fur-trimmed parkas, Fireweed, Lupine, and Wild Iris, Salmon, the Northern Lights, and of course Moose, can all be found in these delightful little quilting shops.
Quilting in Alaska provides entertainment when the days are short and the nights are long. Women almost look forward to the dark winter months, when they can get reacquainted with projects put aside when the sun comes out and the garden calls. Piecing a top together is spending time with oneself. Cutting with care, listening to the hum of the machine, pressing the seams to one side and admiring your work. Quilting is a creative endeavor bringing color and art into the home with the satisfaction of having produced something useful and cherished that will be passed on to loved ones and friends for generations to come.
Quilting Guilds in Alaska serve an extremely social function, bringing together women to work together on quilting projects, teaching one another quilting techniques, and providing an outlet for companionship and a bit of competitiveness. Showing fellow quilters a completed quilt–baring your quilting soul to the scrutiny of other quilters, some more experienced than yourself, is always a positive experience. Sharing the story behind the quilt, more often one of friendship, sometimes one of sorrow, is the mortar that holds these women together.
Quilting in Alaska provides a service function in helping out local communities. The Red Cross, local fire departments, medical clinics, and hospitals call on Alaskan quilters for quilts for those displaced by a fire, for those to keep the chill at bay while on a dialysis machine, and to comfort a mother whose child was stillborn and presented to her wrapped in two quilts—one to be buried with the child and one for the mother to remember her loved one. When disaster strikes, Alaskan quilters have volunteered their time, talent, and materials to put together quilts for hurricane victims and for fallen soldiers’ families. Quilting in Alaska comforts those in need.