Who's Who in Pieced Together Quilters - Cathy Graf

Cathy Graf

Cathy took Kathy’s baby beginner class twice. She wanted to take it a third time but Kathy wouldn’t let her. She has been quilting for about five years but had wanted to quilt most of her life. She just loves quilts. Sabina Hill, from Tuesday night class at San Lorenzo Adult School, is Cathy’s co-worker. Sabina encouraged Cathy to come to class. She doesn’t like to sew clothes but loves hand embroidery and quilting. However, she does enjoy sewing for Olivia, her granddaughter.

Again, Sabina came through and told Cathy about the evening class at Pieced Together Quilters. She rushed to join us.

Some of Cathy’s other hobbies are baking and gardening. Her family loves it when she bakes for them.

Although she hails from She hails from San Mateo and Fairfield she met her husband at a YMCA dance in San Francisco. He was a handsome Sailor boy and here they are 40 years later. They have two sons and one granddaughter – who will be two in January. They now live in San Leandro – in the Manor.

Cathy is a very private person and is decidedly uncomfortable answering my questions. When Kathy passed away, she felt a huge loss. She would have continued quilting, going to classes at quilt shops but the friends she made in Kathy’s class are irreplaceable.

A little know fact…Cathy has little time to watch TV. She works for Bay Area News Group, works at home, works in the garden and quilts.

Who's Who in Pieced Together Quilters - Joan Allie

Joan Allie

Joan stated quilting before Kathy was a teacher – maybe in the early 1970s. The first quilt show was held at Centennial Hall in 1972 or 1973 – called Gail Moore’s Quilters. Gail was the first San Lorenzo Adult School Quilt teacher, who was Kathy’s teacher. They took the class together and became best friends. Kathy called Joan her “mother” and Joan has been a member of Kathy’s family since. It was too long ago to really remember, but Gail was a sewing teacher then moving into quilting so Joan just took class after class going three or four times a week.

Joan collects antiques – has cut back from antiquing every weekend but she and her husband still go as often as their bones will allow them.

As with most of us, Joan learned about Pieced Together Quilters from Kristy’s e-mail. Although Joan didn’t start as one of the quilters in Joy’s living room, she is still one of the original Pieced Together Quilters.

Joan is from Oakland and has loved the Bay Area and East Bay for many years. Married for 56 years, she met her husband on a blind date. Joan wasn’t sure at first taking a year and a half to say yes. They have lived in the same home for 51 years. They have one son and one grandson, as well as Kathy’s kids.

A little know fact about Joan, she was a State Department of Education employee for ten years and she is always running a little late.

Who's Who in Pieced Together Quilters

Kristy Hanson

When one of her twin daughters learned she was pregnant, Kristy decided it was about time she learned how to quilt. That grandson, Adam, is now nine years old. She took a class at In Between Stitches in Pleasanton in 2001 and that first quilt was fussy cut three feet square. Since it’s a boy’s quilt, Kristy used animal prints. The quilt stays at her house for Adam to use when he visits Nana K. Kristy’s granddaughter, Rachel, attends Orion Elementary School in Redwood City. She is the lucky little girl who gets her Nana every week to teach sewing to her first grade class.

Kristy met Nan (Nancy Gerace from Kathy’s Tuesday night class and Pieced Together Quilters evening group) in 2004 when they both took a class at Adobe Art Center in Castro Valley. A little known fact: Kristy is naturally an introvert but worked hard to be the outgoing, happy lady we know now. She had grown up a Navy brat and had to move often – never having close friends. Kristy said she was very intimidated by Nan and another lady from San Lorenzo Adult School Tuesday night, M.J., and didn’t get close to them at this time. Later, Kristy was shopping in Smart and Final and kept running into a lady in the aisles who looked familiar but couldn’t place her. Finally at the checkout counter they recalled it was quilt class. Nan mentioned she attended San Lorenzo Adult School so they both took Kathy’s baby beginner class maybe in 2005.

One of the very interesting things about Kristy and Nan is they are probably some sort of soul mates as their lives keep intertwining. Although a non-Catholic, Kristy attended Catholic High School and one of her teachers, a then priest, also taught Nan’s son at Ohlone. He is no longer a priest, but is still a beloved teacher. Many of their family members are in touch in various other ways.

Some of Kristy’s other hobbies are gardening, cooking, traveling and golf. She has been married 41 years and calls her husband her best friend. When they married everyone gave them two weeks. Now most of those nay-sayers are divorced.

When asked how she came to Pieced Together Quilters she said it was the e-mail notices she sent out. You may recall Kristy kept us up-to-date about Kathy’s progress while she was in the hospital and had the sad task of e-mailing us when Kathy passed away. Our sweet Joy e-mailed Kristy and invited her to join the Pieced Together Quilters group. Kristy was still very sad and grieving in profound ways but decided to call Joy back. Kristy teared up telling me about the first time they spoke. She said that Joy turned her heart. “I mean, her name is Joy!”

Kristy said we all need to reach out to each other more - not less. We never know when we will need each other. Our quilting group has filled her life with happiness – thanks to Joy.

Who's Who in Pieced Together Quilters

Barbara Adams grew up on a farm in Oregon. She had her own horse who was ¾ thoroughbred and stood 17 hands high. She saddle trained him herself.

Her grandmother quilted and she always wanted to learn. She retired in 2000 but contracted seven more years. However, she found time to quilt when she began taking Kathy’s class in 2003.

Barbara is active in her church and began a Quilt Ministry. She began buying fabric from a gentleman who worked for AAA. He sold fabric at flea markets. After he found out that Barbara was using the fabric for quilt donations, he gave her the fabric.

The Quilt Ministry started out with four women in 2008 who knew how to quilt. Two from Kathy’s class were in that first four – she and Barbara Goldhammer. They now have 13. The quilts are tied and with each knot a prayer is said. The quilts are blessed in church by their pastor and the back contains a cross and a label explaining that the quilt was stitched with love and prayers from Calvary Lutheran Church. In the first year they gave away approximately 200 quilts and this year will exceed that number. All quilts are requested and not all the recipients are Christian, but are asked if they would accept the quilt with the cross on the back. They have gone to people all over the United States and Europe.

Married to the same wonderful man for 46 years, they have one daughter and two grandchildren in San Jose. One is 12 and the other 15. They met on a blind date and the rest is history. Barbara has many hobbies and loves to cook, but a little know fact – she was a biker-girl. Well, her whole family were bikers. They each had a Yamaha motorcycle. She, her husband and daughter would ride the gold country hills together.

Barbara was attending San Lorenzo Adult School on Tuesday night when the adult school canceled evening classes. She is so happy there was another place where she could learn new projects and socialize with quilting ladies. She feels quilt ladies are the most giving and loving women she knows and is so grateful to Joy for bringing us Pieced Together Quilters.