Garden Festival Quilt Pattern by Karen Lewis

Garden Festival – A Modern Revival of a Quilting Heritage

Inspired by a remarkable late nineteenth-century coverlet from The Quilters’ Guild Collection, Garden Festival is celebrated textile designer Karen Lewis’ contemporary interpretation of a rare and beautiful piece created by the Ladies’ Work Society between 1875–1899.

Drawing on the spirit of the Arts & Crafts movement and the extraordinary workmanship of the original quilt, Karen’s design captures the romance of historic appliqué while offering a fresh, modern approach for today’s makers. Floral motifs, flowing forms, and heritage-inspired details come together in a pattern that feels both timeless and unmistakably contemporary.

More than simply a pattern, Garden Festival is part of an ongoing conversation between past and present — one quilt, thousands of voices, and now yours among them.

Available as both a digital download and a printed paper pattern, this design is open to everyone, whether you are a long-time Guild member, a heritage enthusiast, or simply someone who believes quilting stories deserve to survive for future generations.

And truly — your purchase matters.

Every pattern sold directly supports The Quilters’ Guild’s vital conservation work, helping us preserve historic British quilts, care for our nationally significant collection, and ensure these extraordinary textiles are not lost to time. Without continued support, many of these fragile pieces — and the stories stitched into them — risk disappearing forever.

By making Garden Festival, you are not only creating something beautiful for your own home; you are helping protect Britain’s quilting heritage for the next generation of makers, historians, and dreamers.

A heritage piece.
A modern revival.
Endless possibilities.