Who’s Who in Pieced Together - Heidi Spedowfski

Heidi, my sweet Heidi, finally came back after convalescing from another surgery! This time on her left shoulder.  She was gone for three months and we really missed her. It’s great to see her smiling face again.

Heidi has been quilting since the early 80s beginning with Linda Cumming. After one year she joined Kathy’s class. She began quilting as a way to calm down from her high-pressure job working in the Emergency Department and CCU at Alameda Hospital. Her last 15 years, of her 30 year career, she was the evening supervisor. She had her 40^th reunion from Samuel Merritt Nursing School. God bless the nurses.

Her dear husband, Gary, was a laboratory technologist at Summit Hospital. They met when Heidi was in nursing school. They have two children – boy and girl – and two little girls for the happy grandparents. These babies are the light of her life.

When the Tuesday night class at San Lorenzo Adult School ended, she joined us at Pieced Together Quilters.  Now we have her all to ourselves. 

Heidi loves all hand work, knitting, crocheting and embroidery, but socializing with her quilting sisters is her greatest joy. She loves to go on quilting tours especially New England. One was an Amish Tour and the other  a Fall Foliage Tour.  There is a group of six girls who set off to New England to set the world on fire.

A little know fact is Heidi was born in Waltham Massachusetts  as her father was in the Air Force. They traveled all over.  It madeHeidi more gregarious as many people would be shy, she made friends quickly.  Being in the military brought people closer together  - we were all one family she said.  Ethnicity was never even considered. She was shocked when she first experienced racisms.  Heidi is one of my special friends and I’m thrilled to have her back in group and on the mend.

Who’s Who in Pieced Together - Lorraine Ryan

When Pieced Together Quilters first started in Joy’s living room, Lorraine was the principal source of information.  She began quilting with Cleo Moore at the Hayward Adult school in 1994 – they year she retired and went to Kathy’s class in 1995. She loved the Thursday afternoon class and stuck with those ladies. That’s where Joy and Lorraine first met. 

Lorraine had previously been a dressmaker and tailor and wanted to further her sewing portfolio and began quilting.  She was hooked – as they say.  She estimates she’s made 100 quilts in 15 years. She makes many quilts for charity as a member of Peacemakers Quilt Guild.

She was born and grew up in San Francisco. She third generation California born. Her grandmother was born at Coloma CA (where gold was discovered).  Her family name is Rohmer – German so those ancestors came from St Louis Mo to mine gold and make it rich! They came west in a covered wagon. Her great-grandmother is buried in Coloma. They’ve had family reunions there and visited the grave stones.

Married 57 years – to her high school sweetheart! They have two sons and one daughter and two granddaughters. She is still hoping for great grand children. She missed not having a grandson, so she started making boy quilts for charity – fulfilling the need to make boy quilts.

Other than sewing and quilting she enjoys activities with quilting friends such traveling with quilters, making charity quilts and going on quilt runs. She says quilting has taken over her life.

A little know fact about Lorraine is she was a Certified Used Cars Sales Representative. She still has her card!  She needed the card to sign papers and certify bill’s of sale.  A DMV officer inspected the lot and told Lorraine she needed to be certified so she went right down and took the test – passed it. She worked for Duffy Gerace and his daughter-in-law was one of Kathy’s students. 

I had to postpone this interview because true to Lorraine’s calling – she was helping other quilters with questions.

Who’s Who in Pieced Together - Carol Christensen

Carol started quilting in 1994 with Kathy in baby beginners. She finished her sampler  and gave it to a new baby in the family who is now 17  years old.  Lenna was the baby and was the reason Carol wanted to learn to quilt. Now, all these years later she has shared many quilts with family. Some stay with Carol as well.  Her favorite quilt is Sunbonnet Sue on Safari.  I love Sunbonnet Sue – although Kathy hated her because she was a bit too cutsie. So, in honor of Kathy, Carol’s last quilt block was a crocodile by the riverbank with Sue’s bonnet floating down the river!!!!

Carol learned of our group from Joan Allie – who was in the Wednesday afternoon class with Carol.  She joined this group last summer, the same time I did. 

Our sweet Carol has never married and sometimes misses not having grandchildren, but has lots of family she can sew for. 

Traveling is Carol’s other great joy – visiting every continent in the world except Antarctica.  Her favorite trip was to Africa – a safari and getting to see the gorillas in Ruanda.  She now mostly goes on cruises but travels with friends, one of whom is a travel agent.  Her last big trip was to the Amazon – “Which was a big river!” They fished for piranha! Imagine! They were supposed to cook the fish for the travelers, but Carol missed out on the “Feast”!

Carol is a Bay Area native growing up in Oakland. She now lives in Fremont – all alone without pets because she travels so much. Plus it is a lot less trouble!

A little known fact about Carol – she lived in Germany for three years. She taught in an Army school in Swabisch Gmund.  Retired from teaching now, Carol taught grades one through five. She taught in Petaluma, then San Jose and finally Hayward.

It is a great joy to have Carol in our little quilt group.

Who’s Who in Pieced Together - Linda Blackburn

Linda began quilting in 1975 – just because she liked to sew. She began sewing in 4-H when she was ten.  She was in 4-H for eight years as a member and two years as a leader. She also raised sheep and took them to the fair. She went to Hayward Adult School, but that class was cancelled so she and her best friend, Linda Long, joined Kathy’s class around 2000.

She was married 30 years but lost her husband three years ago. (She jokes he wasn’t lost – but passed away).  They had four children, two boys and two girls and two grandchildren. (One of each)! How lovely!  She grew up in Castro Valley on the same street as Ann Rego and Gail Lysett.  Linda used a treadle sewing machine for years before getting an electric machine. She still has that old Singer.

Her grandchildren  are great Little League players and even get asked for their autographs.  You may recall her granddaughter, Heaven, visited us one evening. 

She has finished seven quilt tops and has a Gammill long arm machine that she intends to set-up as soon as she retires.  One of the finished quilt tops in the sampler from baby biginners and one is a mystery quilt from Kathy’s class.  Her most recent quilt was a Turtle Quilt, shaped as a turtle – for her niece’s baby.

A little know fact about Linda is she never sewed for her kids as they work jeans and tee shirts but she was in a Western Reenactment Group and sewed the heavy canvas coats for the cowboys called “dusters.” She made her family’s costumes – shirts for the hubby, prairie dresses for the kids. She and her family were involved in this activity for 20 years. They traveled in California and all the way to Tombstone Arizona for the Western Rendezvous Gunfighter shows.  They kept in character all weekend and wouldn’t even walk on the same side of the street as the Earps.

She loves quilting because it doesn't have to fit!

Linda is a really funny lady – but you may not notice because she is so soft-spoken.  I remember recently, one of the ladies was signing up for the pot-luck. She asked Linda; “How do you spell hor d’oeuvers?” Linda Blackburn answered, “Bring something you can spell!” I was laughing so hard I almost fell out of my chair.