Clara's Garden | Kansas Troubles | Moda Fabrics | 9466-14 | HALF METRE UNITS

Clara's Garden | Kansas Troubles | Moda Fabrics | 9466-14 | HALF METRE UNITS

Clara’s Garden is named in memory of my great, great grandmother who came to Kansas as a widow with fi ve children to settle in Kansas during the late 1800's. After suffering the loss of her husband at a young age as they were traveling from the East to take advantage of the vast open plains of the West, she was determined to continue their dream of building a home for their family and making a living off the land. She chose Bennington for it’s plentiful water with three rivers close by and a new railroad linking the sleepy farming community to the big cities. As her crops and family grew, she invested in more land and thrived. Years later, my grandfather settled on the 80 acres next to hers and started a family. He and my Gramma Ethel continued the tradition by passing the land down to my father and uncle, who lives there still. Robert and I now live on my family’s 80 acres across the road from Gramma Clara’s original 40 acres. As I’ve researched our family’s history, I’m struck by the similarities in our lives – young widows with children, forging new lives for ourselves, hoping to pass on a legacy of love and family some day. One thing we do not have in common is a green thumb. Gramma Ethel talked of Clara’s skill in the garden to coax vegetables larger than anyone in the county and banish weeds with a wave of her hand. I will have to be content stitching my garden in her honor. I would have loved to know her.

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