‘We are here; we see you’: Making quilts for fire victims resonates far beyond LA

LOS ANGELES — Shaadee Ighanian didn’t lose her home in the Eaton fire, but when her close friends with a baby did, the former children’s apparel designer wanted to help by making a quilt for 7-month-old Luna.

As Ighanian started piecing together the linen quilt, she thought of all the people who had been displaced. “I wanted to make a quilt for everyone,” she said, “but that was impossible.”

So, a week after the fire started, Ighanian, who also sells quilts and sweatshirts on Etsy, posted on her Instagram account that she was looking for quilts to benefit people affected by the Eaton fire. With only about 1,000 followers at that time, she asked others to spread the word.

“For those who have lost everything, a quilt is more than just fabric — it’s a tangible embrace, a moment of peace in the chaos. So, I’m reaching out to my fellow quilters to help make that happen,” the caption reads.

Ighanian knew she couldn’t replace what the Altadena community had lost, but her grassroots quilt campaign, Stitch by Stitch: Quilts for Altadena, could offer comfort to people living in temporary housing. “I thought of it as a gesture to let them know that we are here; we see you,” she said.

It took off. “There was an outpouring from people who wanted to help,” she said. “It got its rhythm, and more and more people started reposting it and it blew up. It resonated with people.”

Some donated heirloom quilts that had been languishing in closets. One 90-year-old woman gifted her entire quilt stash. Several quilters offered to make new blankets. When they asked about the deadline, Ighanian told them there wasn’t one. “It’s going to take people a long time to rebuild,” she said softly of her friends.

At press time, more than 100 people have responded and 70 quilts have been either promised or donated. These quilts, each unique in design, color, fabric and size, have come from all over Los Angeles, Oregon, Ohio, Massachusetts and the United Kingdom.

Based out of the living room of the Glendale bungalow she shares with her husband and 7-year-old daughter, Ighanian jokes she may have accidentally started a nonprofit. “It’s just me, my notebook and a stack of quilts in my living room,” she said, laughing, pointing to the colorful blankets, many of them with handwritten notes of encouragement attached to the fabric.

On the receiving end, people are starting to reach out to her, including many who contacted her on behalf of overwhelmed friends. “I ask them what their needs are,” she said. “I send them pictures of what I have in stock and let them choose what they want. Quilts are like a hug. You can feel all the time that was spent making them when you wrap yourself in the layers of fabric.”

Adding further goodwill, Ighanian asked the people who have donated quilts to include “a love note” and back story about the quilt and the person who made it. One woman wrote a note saying she was offering one of her first quilts she made, over 20 years ago. “The quilt looks perfect and brand-new,” Ighanian said. “I thought that was so special. The quilt came full circle: This woman was gifting one of her first quilts to someone she didn’t even know.”

Wendy Self, a 55-year-old occupational therapist, was deeply moved when she came to pick up her quilt at Ighanian’s home. “Shaadee’s daughter was lying on the couch under a quilt that her mother had made. She said to me, ‘I’m so sorry you lost your house,’ unprompted. I told her, ‘I’m sorry too, but a lot of nice people are helping us,’” Self said, tearing up. “The quilt is so comforting — I sent my 20-year-old daughter back to UCSB with it — but witnessing this young girl’s exposure to acts of service and generosity really stuck with me.”

Self, who has lived in Altadena with her family for more than 20 years, owned several quilts before her home burned down. Despite the loss, she has found hope in the community’s support.

“Art has the power to uplift people when you feel like you can’t do anything,” Self said. “A quilt is just what I need right now.”

With limited space in her living room, which also serves as her sewing studio, Ighanian is trying to pass out the quilts as she receives them. She has hand-delivered some of them to make it easier for people, including about 14 to the Altadena Kindred free store, which were gone in 15 minutes. She also met one woman in a JoAnn’s parking lot at her request. “That’s the best part,” Ighanian said, “giving them out.”

As a designer for the Gap and Old Navy, Ighanian said she felt far removed from the act of making garments. “There were so many hands involved in the design, which is part of the corporate world,” she said. However, her hand-quilted and hand-appliqued sweatshirts, some of which are made with hand-dyed fabrics, allow her to be entirely in control. “It is so satisfying to make everything with my hands,” she said. “I had such a strong urge to create after the birth of my daughter. I would try to get to the dye bath while she napped.” Ighanian made her first quilt for her daughter Paloma’s doll with natural dyed materials. That led to a crib-size quilt and later, sweatshirts. “It’s fun,” she said of the custom hearts, cherries, pink octopuses and evil eyes she quilts and appliques on to sweatshirts. “They make me happy.”

Heather Praun, co-owner of Plant Material, a garden center, said Ighanian’s simple act of kindness has made her and her family feel less alone after losing their home. “I was overjoyed when Shaadee brought me a quilt,” Praun said. “It was such a happy feeling. Her generosity and kindness overwhelmed me. It is such a beautiful quilt. I love looking at it every day and using it.”

Praun said the quilt reminds her that even though Altadena has lost homes, schools and businesses, she is still a part of a community that supports one another.

“It has been so depressing,” Praun acknowledged. “But we need to keep helping each other so that we can move forward.”

If you would like to donate a quilt to victims of the Eaton fire, contact Ighanian at shaadeemae on Instagram.