Local Quilter And Educator Featured At 34Th Annual Quilt Show

“Anything Goes” the quilts of Elsa Gail Hahn will be showcased at the Harvest Quilters of Central NJ’s 34th annual quilt show on Saturday, March 25, 2017 at Willow Grove Presbyterian Church, Scotch Plains, NJ from 8am to 5pm.
Ms. Hahn’s whimsical one-of-a-kind creations defy what is typically thought of as a quilt.  Art quilts and wall hangings dominate her work, which spans 12 years of exploration in the fiber arts. An original Orca whale study on silk, inspired by a trip to the San Juan Islands, will be a focal point of this eclectic exhibit. Other highlights will include a self-portrait and a unique spin on a children’s book.
Visitors will be treated to a traditional New York Beauty quilt made with non-traditional fabrics of black and brights.  Reaching back to her childhood in Westfield where she was born and raised, Ms. Hahn will display her childhood sewing cards, rags from a baby quilt she made at age 12 and her early needlework.
“I’m color driven when I make a more traditional quilt, but I love the challenge of trying to incorporate an item not meant for quilting, such as a dish towel or scarf.”
A retired elementary music teacher, Ms. Hahn spent 34 years in the Westfield school system and directs the Children’s and Bell Choirs at Cranford Presbyterian Church.  She splits her time between Edison, NJ and Brewster, MA, the inspiration for her quilt “Cabins on the Beach.”  A horseback riding trip to the Triangle X Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in 2005 inspired her to make her first quilt to commemorate the experience.
A winner of multiple ribbons at Harvest Quilters shows, where she is Workshop Chair and the Bayberry Quilters of Cape Cod where she serves as Chairperson of the 2017 Challenge quilt, Ms. Hahn expressed that most of all “I cherish all the dear friends I’ve made through quilting.”
Reading, birdwatching, gardening, woodworking and spending time with her extended family enriches her life and fuels her quilting.
Willow Grove Presbyterian Church is located at 1961 Raritan Rd, Scotch Plains, NJ 07076. Admission is $7/adults and $3 for children 12 and under.

(above) Elsa Gail Hahn will be showcased at the Harvest Quilters of Central NJ’s 34th annual quilt show on Saturday, March 25, 2017 at Willow Grove Presbyterian Church, Scotch Plains, NJ from 8am to 5pm.