There is something especially wonderful about a quilt with a story—and few have a story quite like the Jane Austen Coverlet.

Jane Austen’s House in the village of Chawton, Hampshire, was Jane’s home during the most productive years of her writing life. It was here that she wrote, revised, and prepared her novels for publication. Today, the house preserves many objects connected to Jane and her family, but for textile lovers, one of its greatest treasures is the remarkable patchwork coverlet stitched by Jane, her sister Cassandra, and their mother.

Technically, it is a coverlet rather than a quilt because there is no layer of wadding between the patchwork top and cotton backing. Measuring approximately 91" x 105", its construction and extraordinary number of pieces make it a fascinating example of early 19th-century needlework.

At the center is a beautiful chintz basket of flowers, cut into a large diamond. Surrounding it is a field of 232 smaller diamonds, connected with spotted sashing. Then comes the spectacular outer border—11 inches deep and composed of more than 2,500 tiny diamonds, each with edges measuring just 30mm.

Perhaps even more remarkable is the stitching. The patches are joined with very fine whip stitches—approximately 12 stitches per inch. Imagine Jane, Cassandra, and their mother sitting together in Chawton, choosing fabrics and piecing thousands of tiny diamonds by hand in the lighting conditions of the early 1800s.

It is a beautiful reminder that Jane Austen's creativity wasn't limited to the written word.

The Jane Austen Coverlet Quilt Kit is Back in Stock!

We are delighted to once again have the complete Jane Austen Coverlet Quilt Kit available in the shop, along with the Jane Austen Coverlet Quilt Booklet and the wonderful reproduction center panels.

The booklet guides you through recreating this iconic coverlet with step-by-step instructions, diagrams, and photographs of the original—allowing you to follow in the stitches of Jane, Cassandra, and their mother more than two centuries later.

For those who love antique quilts, reproduction fabrics, English chintz, textile history—and, of course, Jane Austen— this is a very special project.

We’re so pleased to have it back in stock and hope you enjoy discovering the history behind every stitch.

Happy stitching!

Margo & the Reproduction Fabrics Team
Fabric of a bygone era.

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