Fabricating artwork
Jackson Bell
The first thing a parent will usually tell their child before
entering a store is to not touch anything so nothing gets
accidentally broken.
But at Q is for Quilts, the Burbank-based hobby supply store,
being touchy-feely is actually encouraged as part of the shopping
experience.
“It’s fun for kids when they walk in because they run their hands
against the quilts,” owner Julie Zastrow said. “And the moms’ hands
aren’t usually far behind.”
An avid quilt-maker who took up the hobby in the early 1970s, the
Glendale resident opened her store almost 10 years ago with the goal
of making it a one-stop shop for quilters.
The store sells all the supplies a hobbyist needs, including 6,500
bolts, or 15-yard rolls of cotton. It also has an extensive
collection of books on the subject, and hosts about 20 quilt-making
classes and workshops every month.
“I opened the store because I like people and I love fabrics,”
Zastrow said. “But the best part about this job is the customers.”
Bookkeeper Susan Fleischman agreed, joking about the fanaticism of
the culture.
“Quilters become crazy when they want fabric,” she said. “They
will go anywhere to get it.”
Ventura resident Cynthia Paul, who has been shopping at the store
for 10 years, agreed. She said it has one of the best selections in
the Los Angeles area. Her friend Ellen Levine, a Toluca Lake resident
who is also a regular, joked that the only reason they met for lunch
in the Burbank area on Monday was because Paul wanted to buy more
fabric.
Zastrow said quilt making can be an ornate art form serving more
purposes than just draping beds. Quilts are also made as wall
hangings -- quilts made for displays like paintings or photographs.
In fact, the store’s walls are adorned by them.
And the demographics for the hobby, Zastrow said, is more diverse
than the stereotypical retired lady filling her time by making quilts
for her grandchildren. Classes have quilters as young as 13, and
males contribute to about 10% of the store’s business.
Prices, depending on the size of quilt and quality of fabric, can
range from $20 to $150. And most quilters have several ongoing
projects at a time.
A self-described quilt-making addict who learned the hobby about a
year and a half ago, Levine paraphrased another friend when asked to
describe her interest in the hobby.
“When making a brand new quilt, someone will ask me, ‘How can you
afford it?’” she said. “I’ll respond by saying, ‘How can I not afford
it? It is the one true expression of my mood.’”