Pelican Quilts
Artist, Writer, Quilter
My name is Sarah Gagnon and I live in Madison, Wisconsin. Each of my quilts is based on a traditional design or methods, but is my own composition. My process is slow - I create my own colors on linen with natural dyes, then hand stitch them together with sashiko thread.
In my writing I focus on bringing together my interest in what it means to be human and an artist. I call this writing project, a Psychoanalysis of Quilts - or - The Quilt on the Couch. I want to know we get so much joy from this frenetic activity, the repetition of forms and the piecing together of these puzzles. What does this craft says about us, and what we can learn from quilts about our humanity?
A Psychoanalysis of Quilts
Want to make a quilt?
Pelican Quilts on Instagram
The Pelican comes from one of my very favorite textiles, a tapestry called the Osterteppich. This medieval tapestry includes an image of a Pelican feeding her chicks from her own flesh. To me this is an image of desire and the way it can make us and unravel us. I started to share this unraveling of my own creative process daily on instagram in 2021 to see if I had that much to say about quilts and I’m still at it every day.
Hand Stitched & Naturally Dyed
Quilting is the stitching that binds layers of fabrics together to create a quilt. I love the repetitive, frenetic, constant movement of my hands. My work is composed on 100% linen colored with natural dyes.