Art in your backyard

Ocean Wave Quilters was started in Sitka in 1986 by fishing boat deckhand Janine Holzman. Having taught quilting around town, Holzman found her students so enthusiastic and the demand for her teaching skills so great that she organized the new group.

Today, the guild has grown into a staple of Sitka’s community life. They hold monthly meetings and sewing sessions that are open to the public, a 10-day quilt show, a mini-quilt display at a local coffee house, and a once-a-year sewing machine repair extravaganza.

Perhaps most impressively, the guild is the source of more than $3,000 in yearly scholarships and a “group quilt” that is donated to the Sitka Cancer Survivor’s Society for their annual raffle.

President Megan Pasternak explains that quilting and fabric arts in general have really blossomed in the past 10-15 years. When asked about quilting as an art form, longtime member Ruth Culp muses, “It satisfies my creativity needs and my soul.”

Former math and music teacher Sarah Jordan appreciates the geometry, use of math and problem-solving, especially when being stingy with fabric. Holzman adds, “There’s the thrill of finding exactly the right piece of clothing to re-purpose.”

Everyone has their favorite quilt - some created, others shared, and once in a while, a gem is discovered. Pasternak remembers, “My husband and I were on our way to a Crosby, Stills and Nash Concert down south. We were driving and saw a quilt sticking out of a trash can.” They circled the block, talked about it, went back and pulled it out of the garbage. Then, brought it home and donated it to the annual auction. “An Irish Chain quilt, I think."

Some quilters started out sewing. “In high school, I made my own clothes,” shares Pasternak. “My first quilt was a bed-sized wedding present for my Spanish teacher – it had just three big panels of velvet.”