My grandmother, Tynne Heikkinen, was born in 1883 in Juupajoki, Laasi-Suomen Province, Finland. She immigrated to the United States in 1901. In 1905, Tynne married Henry Heikkinen in Leadville, Colorado. Henry was born in 1879 in Hyrynsalmi, Oulu Province, Finland. He came to the United States in 1892. In 1918, the Heikkinens moved to a 40-acre farm in Independence Valley near Rochester, Washington. Tynne and Henry had two daughters, my mother, Maria Hilja, and her sister, Ethel Tynne.
Tynne Heikkinen made these three quilts. She raised a few sheep on their farm, sheared them, and hand carded the wool for the inside of the quilts. The quilt coverings were made of scraps of material from shirts, dresses, curtains, and patterned flour sacks. The quilts were used by my family for many years.