Lillie Hebert Gagnon born on June 8, 1907 at Little Black Lake, the daughter of Ubald Gagnon and Eva Landry. Lillie’s pastime was knitting and sewing blankets for family and friends. She was a member of the Ladies of St. Anne, member of the third order of the Secular Franciscans, a R.S.V.P volunteer for more than 15 years. She was married to Ned Gagnon. Lillie passed away on August 6, 2006 at the age of 99.

Acadians have long been enthusiastic quilters. The history of quilt making, however, began long before Acadians and other Europeans came to North America. Nations around the world used padded fabrics for clothing, bedding, even armor. The word quilt, of Latin origins, meant “stuffed sack.” While there are countless designs and manifestations of quilts, there are three main types: plain or whole-cloth; appliqué (one piece of material sewn over another, to make a design); and pieced, or patchwork. They can be hand-stitched or produced using a sewing machine.

Acadian format or block format, constructed of either clothing-style or household textile-style cottonades. Traditional Acadian values of self-sufficiency, frugality, cultural conservatism are important cultural artifacts and their quilts document the wide variety of fabrics the weavers created as they cared for their families.