Walpole quiltmaker/fiber artist, Janet B. Elwin will be exhibiting a collection of new “little” wall size quilts at the Miles Hospital Campus from Feb. 14 through March 20, 2015.

Janet has been exploring quiltmaking since 1973 and traveled the world teaching and lecturing. Her first pieces were all bed quilts of traditional designs but she soon asked “what if” and began designing original patterns for bed quilts and wall hangings.

Teaching for many years in adult education, colleges, quilt guilds and seminars from New England to Japan to Israel soon became an adventuresome career, which lasted over 30 years.

Janet has been happily at home in Walpole still creating quilts and asking “what if” coming up with new and creative quilts and wall hangings. Also has made over 200 pillowcases for the Barbara Bush Children Cancer center and for the Miles Memorial Hospital Thrift Shop (all proceeds go to the hospital).

Janet was one of the founders of the New England Quilters Guild and initiated the Guild's goal of establishing a quilt museum (which opened in Lowell, Massachusetts. In 1987 and chaired a quilt exposition, Images I, which raised over $21,000 for the museum's seed money.

Locally Janet designed The Damariscotta River Quilt and worked with a team of quilt makers to raise $22,000 for the Damariscotta River Association in 1992. And in 1998 designed and made a quilt to raise over $3,000 for the rebuilding of Skidompha Library.

She has written four books on quilting and Janet also designed creative patchwork skirts and had a line of patterns and workshops encouraging students to make patchwork clothing.

Janet won the 1998 Honor Award for her outstanding work in quilting and more specifically her leadership roles in the forming of the New England Quilts Guild and The New England Quilt Museum.

Look for Janet's unique hand bags in the Miles Gift Shop.