Karen and Greta Putnam at Buckingham Palace after the Investiture ceremony. Karen holding her OBE.
- Fellow of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (FIIC), 1962 (Honorary Fellow 2004)
- Honorary Senior Lecturer, Courtauld Institute of Art, 1975-86
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), 1976
- Emeritus Member, Embroiderers’ Guild, 1980
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), 1984
- Honorary Founder, Textile Conservation Centre, Hampton Court Palace, 1986
- Award for Lifetime Service to the Arts, National Art Collection Fund (NACF), Jun 1987
- Dedication of Karen Finch Library and Reference Collection, Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton, 1993
- Honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt), University of Southampton, Jul 1999
- Festschrift titled ‘Textiles Revealed: Object Lessons in Historic Textile and Costume Research’ presented by colleagues and friends, 2000
- Honorary President, Knitting History Forum (KHF), 2006
- Karen Finch Bursary Fund established by the Textile Conservation Foundation (TCF), Dec 2012
- Karen Finch Prize established by the Textile Conservation Foundation (TCF), Aug 2015
- Balfour of Burleigh Tercentenary Prize for Exceptional Achievement in Crafts, Nov 2015
- Awarded Lifetime Membership, National Trust
Other roles
- Member of council, Leather Conservation Centre (LCC), UC Northampton (formerly Nene College), 1978-
- Teaching branch committee member, Royal School of Needlework (RSN)
- Costume committee member, International Council of Museums (ICOM)
- Member, Early Textiles Study Group (ETSG)
- Member, Centre International d’Etude des Textiles Anciens (CIETA)
- Founder member, Costume Society
- Founder member, Friends of Fashion, Museum of London