Joann closure a hit to Alaska’s crafting community

Deborah Standefer, a member of Soldotna’s Thursday quilting group, shows off a mariner star she’s working on. (Hunter Morrison/KDLL)
It’s a Thursday morning in the multipurpose room of Soldotna’s Christ Lutheran Church, where a handful of quilters gather weekly to work on projects. Deborah Standefer fires up her sewing machine and stitches a blue, circular quilt.
But despite Standefer’s enthusiasm, there’s a palpable feeling of loss among the group. Just two t