Half snail and half bird or mammal, these hybrids were inspired by depictions of animals in medieval illuminated manuscripts. In this series I was exploring what a monochrome creature looks like in front of a crazy colorful background. (Some of the recycled fabrics are from the 1970s and 1980s.)

It all started out after I came across an image of an angry boar in a snail shell and ended with my elephant squeezed in a shell. I now notice that the animals start looking happier as the series continues. The elephant, which I made last, almost appears to be laughing. Maybe, subconsciously, the pandemic has influenced this series? At first we were angry to be stuck in our homes, but eventually we began to accept our fate and made do. Today, we hardly want to leave the house anymore.

These little quilts measure approximately 14x19”—each creature slightly varies in size—are entirely hand-stitched.

They look great on the wall as a series or in pairs as place-mats—and they can be hand-washed.