I’m so excited to finally share the newest TBS pattern with you… meet Peace Garden!
This design feels like the best of both worlds: fresh and modern, but with that cozy, traditional heart we all love. It’s a bit like taking one of those classic quilt blocks and watching it blossom into something totally new.
And just like a real garden, this pattern is playful and full of possibilities. You’ll find three layout options: Modern, Traditional, and 3-Colour, plus a fun little Twist bonus! Because really, who doesn’t love having options when it comes to quilting?
You can find the PDF pattern here and the paper pattern here!
Peace Garden is block-based and wonderfully versatile. It’s fat quarter (and fat eighth) friendly, which means you can dive right into your stash or that favourite bundle you’ve been saving. With sizes from Baby to Bed, you can stitch one up for any snuggle situation. The instructions are easy to follow, making it a great pick for confident beginners, while still offering that “ooh, fun!” factor for seasoned quilters.
This pattern includes beginner-friendly instructions for four sizes ranging from Baby to Bed size:
- Baby - 36” x 48”
- Throw - 560” x 72”
- Twin - 72” x 96”
- Bed - 96” x 96”
Here are the Peace Garden fabric requirements:
The name Peace Garden comes from the International Peace Garden, a truly special place right on the border of southern Manitoba and North Dakota. Dedicated in 1932, the garden was created to symbolize peace and friendship between Canada and the United States. It stretches across both countries, with no fences or borders inside, just wide open space filled with thousands of flowers, fountains, lakes, and winding trails. There are even monuments, a peace chapel, and special ceremonies held there that celebrate unity and connection.
Photos are from the International Peace Garden website.
If you’ve ever visited, you know it has this calming, almost magical atmosphere that makes you want to slow down and soak it all in. That feeling of beauty, connection, and harmony is exactly what I hoped to stitch into this quilt. Peace Garden is a nod to that spirit — a reminder that quilting, like gardening, can bring people together and create something lasting and meaningful.
Here’s a quick peek at what you can expect with this pattern:
🌼 Fat Quarter and Fat Eighth Friendly – perfect for diving into your stash or using a favourite bundle
🌼 Beginner Friendly – clear, comprehensive instructions with helpful diagrams
🌼 Multiple Sizes – make it in Baby, Throw, Twin, or Bed size
🌼 Versatile Design – choose from Modern, Traditional, 3-Colour layouts, plus a fun Twist bonus
🌼 Playful and Flexible – endless options to make it completely your own
Peace Garden Cover Quilt (Modern Layout)
For the cover quilt, I wanted to lean into colour in a way that felt vibrant but still grounded. It’s definitely colourful, but instead of going full-on rainbow, I went with a slightly moodier palette. The mix of warm and cool tones creates a really nice balance, giving the quilt plenty of life without it feeling too loud or busy.
Since each block uses three different fabrics, I decided to pull three shades of the same colour, playing with variation in value and tone, and then keep those trios together across all three blocks. This gave the quilt a more cohesive, intentional look while still letting the colours shine. It’s a fun approach because you get that playful variety of colour, but with just enough structure to keep the overall design calm and harmonious.
Here are the Kona Cotton colours I used:
- Cocoa
- Sienna
- Salmon
- Spice
- Cedar
- Mango
- Creamsicle
- Peach
- Lt Parfait
- Spruce
- Leaf
- Old Green
- Windsor
- Cadet
- Dresden Blue
- Plum
- Violet
- Pansy
- Curry
- Daffofil
- Mustard
- Ivy
- Olive
- Wasabi
- Amethyst
- Lavender
- Princess
- Dill
- Spring
- Green Tea
I chose a gorgeous, retro-inspired (at least to me) floral print from Art Gallery Fabrics called Melodic Blooms Fresh from Mix the Volume. I finished the quilt with Kona Leather binding and big stitch quilting using 12wt Aurifil Thread in Muslin.
Now let’s talk about the quilting. I knew I wanted something with lots of visual movement and soft curves. Normally, this is where I’d turn to a longarm quilter, but I was in a serious time crunch. So, I decided to tackle some wavy quilting myself.
My original plan was to mark one wavy line and then just follow it with my quilting guide. BUT... do you remember back in school when we’d all write our names in bubble letters and then echo around them again and again? And how the more you traced, the blob-ier and less defined it got? Yeah… that’s exactly what would have happened if I stuck with my first idea.
Instead, my husband Chris came to the rescue. He helped me create a cardboard template that I could use a hera marker to mark every single line across the quilt. It was tedious and honestly a little frustrating to line up properly (especially since cardboard isn’t see-through, in case you didn’t know, haha!). But the result was so worth it.
The quilting turned out exactly the way I envisioned — full of flow and movement. Buuuut… let’s just say it was a lot of work and not something I’ll likely attempt again in the future!
See the finished quilt surrounded by a gorgeous garden here!
Three-Colour Quilt
I think most people know I have a big love for two-colour quilts. While this design could be made with just two, I found that using three colours kept the construction more straightforward (and consistent with the other layout options) while also creating a dynamic look I couldn’t resist trying.
If you’ve ever spent time looking at vintage quilts, you’ve probably noticed that red and white quilts are definitely “a thing” in the quilting world. I’ve actually never made one myself (at least not yet!), so that became my jumping-off point. From there, I added a pop of pinky-peach to round out the palette and soften the contrast.
For this version, I used Kona Cotton in:
- Pimento
- Salmon
- Natural
I experimented with placing the colours in different spots within the block, and it was fascinating to see how the design shifted depending on the arrangement.
Additionally, because the block is asymmetrical, you can also rotate every other block 90 degrees for a completely different overall effect. (Watch what I mean here!)
In the end, I went with the layout where the lightest colour landed in the “petals.” I loved the secondary shapes that emerged from the red and peach, almost like Christmas bows!
Backing was a tough choice at first, until I dug into my stash and found the one. It might be a bit unexpected, but it was absolutely perfect. I used Posies from the Dear Isla collection by Hope Johnson for Cotton + Steel, and I cannot explain the vibes it gives off… just so, so good.
I tried something new for the binding and it definitely will not be the last! I made a two-toned, flanged binding using the extra backing fabric as the “main” fabric and Kona Cocoa as the accent. The deep green from the back felt important to pull around to the front to tie everything together, and the warm red created the perfect “bridge” between the two colours. (I am putting together a tutorial on this technique, so stay tuned!)
In an effort to always keep at least one hand quilting project on the go, this quilt ended up being in the perfect spot, pieced and ready right as I finished my last project. Hand quilting felt like the natural choice.
My goal was to accentuate and define the shapes without simply outlining them, while also keeping the process a little more relaxing (especially after the cover quilt quilting marathon!). After some humming and hawing, I landed on parallel lines across all the red and peach sections, with vertical lines running through the white petal areas.
I used 28wt Aurifil thread in Muslin (2311). This mid-weight thread helped me achieve smaller and more dense stitches (as opposed to big-stitch quilting with 12wt thread) which I thought would pair beautifully with the design, adding just the right amount of texture and definition.
Bluebell Quilt (Modern Layout)
I have a “How to Choose Your Fabrics” tip for you: when in doubt, an analogous palette will never fail you! Ok, but what exactly does that mean? An analogous color scheme typically uses three (or more) colours that sit next to each other on the color wheel, creating a harmonious and cohesive look.
For this Peace Garden quilt, I knew I wanted to try a true mix-and-match style. If I’m being honest, that’s a bit outside my comfort zone as it’s not something I do often. I think I just lack the confidence or clear vision of how it will turn out. Over time though, I’ve learned that giving myself some parameters to work within makes all the difference.
Sometimes that means fewer colors but more shades of the same color family, which is exactly what I did here. Instead of trying to make the entire rainbow look cohesive, I narrowed it down to a few hues and then played with variation in shade and value. Of course, things like contrast, scale, and print factor in too, but let’s save the deep dive into colour theory for another day!
For this version, I opted for an analogous palette centred on blue, leaning into purples on one side of the colour wheel and teals and turquoises on the other. The baby size quilt calls for 12 fat quarters, so I pulled a handful of blues, purples, and teals of similar saturation, then filled in with a few additional shades of each.
Here are the Kona Cotton colours I used:
- Fog
- Teal Blue
- Dresden Blue
- Cadet
- Windsor
- Navy
- Regal
- Bright Peri
- Amethyst
- Violet
- Pansy
For the backing, I used Happy Icebergs from the Arctic Tale collection by Art Gallery Fabrics. I actually picked it up during a Thread Count Fabrics spring sale just because it made me laugh, and I wasn’t sure what I’d use it for. Turns out, it was the perfect match for this quilt. And seriously… is it not adorable?!
To top it all off, I added a high-contrast, ⅛” black and white striped binding from Riley Blake for a little extra pizzazz.
Now let’s talk quilting, because this might just be my favourite part of the whole quilt. With the mix of blues and the iceberg backing, I knew it needed something water-inspired.
I started by marking a semi-circle at the halfway point on one long side with my hera marker and quilted directly on the line. From there, I echoed out with 1" spacing using my quilting guide, then repeated the same process from the opposite side.
Take a peek at the quilting here!
The result was exactly what I had imagined: concentric ripples spreading out, crashing into each other, just like when you toss two rocks into a lake and watch the patterns form!
Traditional Layout
Now let’s chat about the Traditional Layout. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the chance to make one myself yet (there’s literally never enough time… so sad!), but I have made approximately one million mock-ups for the day I finally do.
This version still uses three colours per block, similar to the Modern layout, but with the addition of an overall background colour and a centre accent fabric. The result is a more classic, traditional look, and the best part is you get it without needing to add borders or sashing.
This layout is also fat eighth friendly, so it’s perfect if you’ve got a stack of those waiting in your stash. And since I mentioned the centre accent, it’s worth noting that the pattern includes fabric requirements for both options: whether you’d like your background and accent to match, or if you want the accent to really pop as its own separate colour.
Peace Garden Fabric Bundles
If you’re ready to make your own Peace Garden Quilt, we’ve made it super easy! You’ll find curated bundles in the shop inspired by every quilt in this post, plus a few extra — all named after beautiful blooms from the garden. And don’t forget about our easy-peasy binding add-ons, sold by the ¼ yard so you can customize the perfect finish for your quilt.
I’ve got a super helpful resource to help you get your mock-up on! Plan your fabrics, play with colour, and have some fun! You can explore Peace Garden or the entire catalogue of TBS quilt patterns on PreQuilt!
If you stitch up your own Peace Garden Quilt, I would absolutely love to see it! It makes my day whenever I get to admire your TBS quilts. Be sure to share using the hashtags #PeaceGardenQuilt and #blanketstatementpatterns… you might even be featured on our social media or in the newsletter!
And of course, if you have any questions about this pattern (or any of the others in the shop), just send an email to hello@theblanketstatement.ca. I’m always happy to help!