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From a story William Morris read to his daughters to an iconic design; Brother Rabbit

22nd May 2017

Welcome to our new blog series which revolves around all our current designs before we launch our new one! Below is a sneak peak of the new design as well as an insight into how colours are chosen for a new design of ours. Throughout the process, we work closely with the printers and receive many strike offs to make sure it’s perfect. Our new design is excitingly close to being perfected so stay tuned!

Our Brother Rabbit design was first produced in May 1882. It was one of nineteen designs registered at the Patent Office between 1881-1882 by Morris- seventeen of these were designed for the indigo- discharge method of printing. This method stands in stark contrast to the printing we see today on machines; this took three days to complete. The cloth was submerged in an indigo vat in order to dye it all over to a uniform blue colour. Then it was bleached with a bleaching reagent to reduce the colour to the desired shade of blue for the base colour. Mordants are then applied to the bleached parts and then the cloth immersed in a madder vat to give it the proper tint. The excess colour was then cleaned off and to ensure the colours on the fabric won’t run once produced, they were set at boiling point by passing the fabric through soap. Laid outside with the printed side face up, the white of the design was purified to finish the job- a laborious job to create a work of art; worth it though to see the beautiful and intricate designs Morris produced.

The Uncle Remus Stories were written by J.C. Harris and Morris read them to his children Jenny and May at their home Kelmscott Manor. The birds in the design were drawn by Morris’ close friend Philip Webb.

Nowadays, our products are both printed and manufactured in the UK, are licensed designs by William Morris, and are printed both size and colour-wise to our own specifications to best suit our products.

Below are a few of our Brother Rabbit design items- our tote bags fitted in perfectly in Venice, but our full range is viewable here- it would look great on your table and throughout your kitchen in accessories this summer time!

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Team matching or team mix and match? 👻👇

Our napkins come in packs of 4, but if you’re a maximalist at heart, have a look at our sale section. We have packs of 1 and 2, so you can build your own beautifully mismatched set 🌸🎃

Shop via the link in bio.

#williammorris #maximalisthome #tablescape #halloweentable #laurasbeau
Cotton or heavyweight cotton? Here’s how to choose 🧵✨

All of our fabrics are licensed William Morris designs, digitally printed here in the UK. We offer two weights, so you can pick the right one for your project:

🌿 Cotton
Lighter, softer and easy to sew. It drapes beautifully and is perfect for:

- Dressmaking, like skirts, blouses and shirts
- Quilting and patchwork
- Pillowcases and bedding
- Bunting, lavender bags and small crafts
- Lightweight curtains

🌿 Heavyweight cotton
Thicker and sturdier, It holds its shape and stands up to light upholstery use, so it’s ideal for:

- Cushion covers
- Curtains and roman blinds
- Light upholstery, like chair seats and headboards
- Tote bags and aprons
- Tablecloths and placemats

Not sure which you need? Send us a message and we’ll happily help 💛

Shop by the half metre via the link in bio.
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#williammorrisfabric #cottonfabric #upholsteryfabric #quiltingfabric #laurasbeau
Re-introducing Charlotte Rose 🌹

Our very own design, taken from our French archive of late 1800s to early 1900s prints. We fell in love with these delicate sprigs of tumbling roses and just had to bring them back to life 💕

You can buy her ready-made as a tablecloth and napkins, or by the half metre if you’d like to make something of your own 🧵

Pretty, romantic, and made for long lunches and special occasions 🥂 Link in bio to shop. #charlotterose #frenchvintage #floraltablecloth #tablescape #laurasbeau
Your Strawberry Thief, cut to order ✂️🍓

Every order is measured and cut to order. We sell it by the half metre, so it’s ideal for small projects or big makes. It’s a licensed William Morris design, digitally printed in the UK ✨

Order yours via the link in bio 💛

#strawberrythief #williammorris #fabricbythemetre #sewingfabric #laurasbeau
Who else loves making their own cards and gifts? ✂️🧵

This sweet anniversary bunny was made with little scraps of our William Morris fabric. It’s proof that even the smallest offcuts can become something really special 💛

With Halloween around the corner and Christmas not far behind, now’s the perfect time to get crafting 🎃🎄 Think appliqué cards, fabric gift tags, lavender bags, bunting, Christmas tree decorations and pretty wrapping for presents 🎁 

A handmade gift will always mean so much with the thought and time gone into it, but be sure to start well in advance so you’re not frantically sewing on Christmas Eve! ✨

What are you making this season? Let us below 👇 #handmadecards #fabriccrafts #williammorris #handmadechristmas #laurasbeau
Ever wondered why our fabrics look so good up close? 🔍✨

Every one of our William Morris designs is digitally printed and manufactured right here in the UK, and here’s why we love it:

🎨 Incredible detail. Every tiny petal, berry and feather comes out crisp and true to the original design. The colours are consistent and gorgeous. 
🌈 Rich, accurate colours that stay just as vibrant as the artwork intended when Morris designed them
🌿 Kinder to the planet. Digital printing typically uses far less water than traditional methods, and we print in smaller batches, so there’s less waste.
🇬🇧 Supporting British makers. A shorter supply chain means we keep skills, jobs and quality close to home.

It’s a modern way to bring timeless designs into your home 💛

Shop via the link in bio. #digitalprinting #madeinbritain #williammorris #sustainablefabric #laurasbeau
What are you all dressing up as for Halloween? This was last years costume for Bertie, what can he be this year? 🎃🖤

He’s lounging on our Compton fabric, a licensed William Morris design printed in the UK. A pumpkin with good taste!

Tell us your costume plans below 👇#halloweendog #blacklab #williammorris #comptonfabric #laurasbeau
What would you make with this fabric? 🧵

Our Golden Lily heavyweight fabric is a licensed William Morris print, printed in the UK, and it’s a dream to sew with. Cushion covers, roman blinds, tote bags, a reupholstered chair… tell me in the comments what you'd make👇

Available now, we sell it by the half metre for £13.25

#sewingproject #upholsteryfabric #williammorris #printedinuk #laurasbeau
We’re making some new fat quarter bundle sets for the website, let us know any combinations you’d like to see! ✨ We know lots of quilters like colour combos to match, do you prefer like colours or clashing? 🫶🏻
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#williammorris #wmorris #fatquarters #fatquarterbundles #quilterofinstagram
New product! 🩷 Our Charlotte Rose French floral design is so beautiful, it’s from our French floral archive and we’ve just decided to do tea towels in it in time for the season of gifting 🎁 £10.99 each, available now on our website ✨
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#frenchflorals #frenchstyle #countrykitchen #countrystyle #countrystylehome
Bringing back the pumpkin napkin fold 🎃 Anyone want a tutorial on how to do it? ⭐️ 
This is our licensed William Morris Compton design, isn’t it gorgeous 🍂
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#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #compton #autumntable #napkinfolding
All printed in the UK, these are the licensed William Morris designs we cut today- can you name them all? ✨
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #fabrics #wmorris #smallbusiness