Laura ’ s 102 ^nd June , 2020

Laura & Helen , 2019

Laura with poster version of the quilt created by daughter , Marianne Parsons

Helen Berscheid , “ One of Laura ’ s ” | Article & Photos

My mother , Laura Berscheid , turned 102 years old in June 2020 . The year before at her birthday , I had decided that her longevity needed to be marked with something special . I vowed to pay tribute to her by creating 101 items ; a small accomplishment considering her daily chores caring for all of us and the farm near Lake Lenore , Saskatchewan !

In fact , she taught all twelve of her children to be creative in their daily life by knitting , sewing , gardening , canning , and baking . She still knits , does a little cooking , and baked her own bread until she was 100 years old ! So , I got busy sewing , painting , and working with my granddaughter to make lavender sachets and all sorts of items new to me . ( Many of the items created for the project were made from items and fabrics purchased at Calgary ’ s seniors ’ organization , the Kerby Centre .) By the end of August 2019 , I had accounted for 109 items , sold many of them through craft sales , a Facebook page , and word of mouth , and raised almost $ 1,400 to be spent on women in need .

My sister created a quilt depicting Mom and all the things she taught us children . This quilt has been displayed in various locations along with the tale of all her efforts to keep us occupied with creative and useful efforts . I am grateful that my mom knew the value of hand work to keep us from getting bored and that she spent enough time teaching us that we

can now create highly accomplished items in our own right . Laura ’ s living legacy will be with me until the end of my life !

Following this project , my plan is to paint a portrait of my mother and finish selling the leftover items along with any new ones created during all my free time in this pandemic .

Laura is alive and well and living in a retirement home in Saskatoon but , sadly , misses playing cards and visiting with family and friends due to COVID-19 restrictions .

Helen Berscheid teaches sewing at Calgary high schools when such is possible . Helen notes that at one point in her teaching career , there were four people working at St . Francis High School , Calgary , who were related to someone who had grown up in Lake Lenore , a town with a population of 400 .

An earlier version of this article was published in the Fibre Art Network newsletter and the Kerby Newsletter .

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