Revitalizing Alaska’s Sewing Community: New Shops and Innovations

In Alaska’s colorful world of sewing and fabric retail, local businesses are adjusting to the big changes caused by Joann’s closure and other market shifts.

Shops are stepping up, offering everything from garment fabrics to quilting supplies and specialty yarns. They’re not just filling shelves—they’re building a sense of community and sparking creativity among Alaskan sewists.

Winter Solstice: A Haven for Garment Sewists

Winter Solstice specializes in garment materials, with a lineup that includes Polartec, satin, and other specialty fibers. Owner Kaler really believes that sewists need to touch and feel the fabric—to know how it stretches and drapes—before they decide what to buy.

Garment sewing isn’t like quilting, which mostly uses woven cotton. It’s a whole different world of textures and fabric types.

Diverse Fabric Blends

At Winter Solstice, you’ll find blends of cotton, linen, and wool mixed with polyester, Lycra, and spandex. These blends create unique feels and looks you just can’t get from a photo or a swatch in the mail.

Kaler thinks it’s important for sewists to know what goes into their fabric. That knowledge can make or break a project.

Community and Education

The shop also carries notions and yarn, and there’s a class space for folks who want to learn or connect. It’s not the perfect space—Kaler admits it’s a bit cramped and not very accessible—but it’s a start.

The shop’s logo, an octopus with more than eight legs, hints at how crafting always seems to require more hands than you’ve got.

Frozen Fabrics: A Quilter’s Paradise

After Joann’s closed, Cynthia Nelson in Fairbanks sped up plans to open Frozen Fabrics, a quilting shop packed with cottons, batting, patterns, and kits. She’s also added threads and notions after listening to what customers needed—thread, scissors, pins, bobbins, the essentials.

Meeting Customer Demands

Nelson keeps tweaking her inventory based on what people ask for. She’s brought in buttons and prints with military, firefighter, and first responder themes.

Fleece joined the lineup after customers requested it. Nelson’s always watching for what her community needs.

Cabin Fever Fabric, Fiber & Gifts: Adapting to New Ownership

Under Ivy Spohnholz’s new ownership, Cabin Fever Fabric, Fiber & Gifts in downtown Anchorage has made some changes for kuspuk makers and other sewists. The shop tripled its rickrack trim and ramped up ribbon sales.

They’ve also added more floral prints and fabrics that match up well with trims. It’s all about giving people what works for their projects.

Extended Hours and Year-Round Service

Spohnholz extended store hours to 7 p.m. so more folks can come in after work. For the first time, the shop will stay open during January and February—prime months for quilters who don’t slow down in winter.

These moves aim to keep Alaskan sewists supplied all year, not just in the busy seasons.

Consolidation and Community Focus

Spohnholz, who used to serve in the state legislature, took the reins after founder Jana Hayenga retired. Cabin Fever had already merged with Hayenga’s other shops, Wooly Mammoth and The Quilted Raven, so the place draws knitters, sewists, and tourists alike.

There’s always a quilting expert on hand, ready to help. That sense of community and expertise is at the heart of the shop.

Fiber N’ Ice: Specialty Yarns and Customer Adaptation

Fiber N’ Ice in Wasilla, run by Denise Morrison, focuses on hand-dyed specialty yarns like superwash wool. Joann’s closing hasn’t really changed her business, but she’s thinking about adding cotton yarns since more customers are asking for them.

That kind of flexibility seems to be what keeps small fabric businesses thriving.

Beyond Core Customer Needs

Morrison sometimes gets unusual requests—like wool to cover beehives. It’s a reminder that her products have uses she never expected.

Kaler at Winter Solstice also tries to meet unique needs, such as stocking satin for casket linings. She doesn’t think any other Alaska shop carries it.

Building a Creative Community

Both Morrison and Kaler want to spark a creative community among Alaskan sewists. Kaler’s looking to start monthly sewing drop-ins, inviting folks to bring their projects and swap ideas.

She thinks sewing together helps people pick up those little tips and tricks you just don’t get alone. It’s about giving everyone the confidence to make the clothes they really want to wear.

Kaler admits sewing garments can feel tough and sometimes eats up a lot of time. But she’s pretty sure that, with the right support and some good resources, more people will stick with it and actually enjoy the process.

Curious about how Alaska’s fabric and sewing scene is changing? Check out Alaska Business Magazine.