Crews of local quilters hung 92 of their finished pieces in Fraser Hall this morning in preparation for the 5 p.m. kick-off tonight of the 42nd annual Ocean Wave Quilt Guild show that will be open to viewers daily through next Sunday, May 18.
The ninety-two quilts included in the show this year are tied around the theme of “Sassy,” which “you can interpret in all sorts of different ways,” said Janine Holzman, founder and continuous member of the local guild.
Holzman and guild president Megan Pasternak brainstorm the theme each year. Last year’s theme was “I never thought…”
Pasternak said that the “Sassy” theme this year evoked creations with “sassy colors and sassy titles” that quilters selected based on their own interpretation of the theme.
“Some quilts have some great colors on them that are just sassy to me, and some have subject matter that falls into my idea of sassy,” Pasternak said.
Pasternak said that this year’s show features more large quilts than normal, as well as a “good variety” of quilting techniques, and subjects featured on the quilts.
The annual Sitka show is “a step above” other quilt shows “as far as interesting quilts that people in our guild come up with,” Holzman said.
All of the quilts in this year’s guild show are being displayed to the public for the first time.
Attendees will have the chance to vote for their favorite quilt in the Viewers’ Choice competition for the small, medium and large quilt categories, as well as the quilt that best fits the “Sassy” theme. Winning quilts for each category will be marked with a ribbon.
More than 50 quilters belong to the local guild, and contributed to the show this year.
Members work year round on their creations, hold auctions to fund local scholarships and charitable donations, and gather for quilting retreats where members “sew all day and all night,” Holzman said.
Since Holzman hosted the first quilt show in 1983, the show has coincided with Mother’s Day weekend.
Mothers will be celebrated at the quilt show this Sunday, with the annual Mother’s Day Tea taking place from noon to 4 p.m.
Holzman said that the Tea event is a time for quilters to gather with their families, and “something to look forward to for non-quilters who just want to come and have a little special occasion.”
“We have cookies, tea and flowers, it’s really lovely,” Holzman said.
For Holzman, quilting is a family affair.
She recalled how her grandma taught her how to quilt over Christmas break while she was in seventh grade in western Montana.
“I knew how to sew on the sewing machine, but my grandma showed me how to take a cereal box and cut it up into a template, and draw around it with a pencil,” Holzman said. “And nobody does that anymore, and we cut with scissors instead of rotary cutters.”
Rotary cutters, which resemble pizza cutters and are used to slice fabrics, are”the biggest change” she’s seen in quilting since she got her start about 60 years ago.
“Everybody has abandoned scissors, pretty much, unless it's a real tight curve, and that's just all you cut with is your rotary cutter,” Holzman said.
While styles and techniques have changed over the years, quilting has always been a creative outlet and “addictive” activity for many involved.
“There's something about fabric that's addictive, where you just enjoy the patterns and the texture,” Holzman said. “And it's very pleasant to sit down at your sewing machine, and it's really nice to iron and have a nice crisp seam.”
“It's now 60 years later, and I'm still like being inspired and doing new things that I haven’t done before,” Holzman said.
And for Sitka quilt audiences, this weekend marks “42 years of quilt shows and tea parties,” Holzman said.
