Our “Around the World” Group Quilt and an Day of Quilting Inspiration at the Festival of Quilts

Thursday 30 July 2026

This year’s Pilgrim Quilters coach trip to the Festival of Quilts at the NEC Birmingham was particularly special – because amongst all the wonderful quilts on display was one of our own!

Our beautiful Around the World quilt, designed by Jinny Beyer, began life as a kit belonging to our much-missed friend and fellow quilter Shelagh Jarvis, who died three years ago. The kit was gifted to Pilgrim Quilters and, because of the complexity of the design, six of our experienced quilters – Caryll Ransom, Anne Hoffman, Marion Welch, Linda Rowley, Ruth Hurst and Charlotte Henry – took on the challenge of making it together.

What followed was around 18 months of painstaking cutting, piecing, problem-solving and teamwork, led by Charlotte – so seeing the finished quilt hanging at the Festival of Quilts was a very proud moment for Pilgrim Quilters.

Of course, there was plenty more to enjoy: inspiring exhibition quilts, demonstrations and lots of tempting fabric, threads and quilting goodies. Some of us may have returned to the coach carrying rather more than we arrived with!

But this year, seeing Shelagh’s quilt completed by her fellow Pilgrim Quilters and displayed at the Festival made our day particularly memorable.