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William Morris Strawberry Thief

5th May 2020

“I was a great deal at Merton last week… anxiously superintending the first printing of the Strawberry thief” – William Morris

Strawberry Thief

Strawberry Thief is one of William Morris’s most popular textile designs. It’s actually been one of our most loved print for years. The story behind the design is a charming one as Morris used to watch the thrushes in the garden stealing his strawberries from under the fruitlets at his home Kelmscott Manor. It was when we were talking to our friends at Kelmscott Manor that they told us he was actually sat on the Privvy when he saw the birds do this!

Kelmscott Manor

Kelmscott Manor was, of course, his beloved home in the Cotswolds. It was the retreat for his family, friends and colleagues. Upon first seeing the Manor in 1871, Morris stated it was the, ‘loveliest haunt of ancient peace.’ He signed a joint least with Dante Gabriel Rossetti, a fellow Pre-Raphaelite artist and friend. The house is a true arts and crafts  house and Morris loved the fact it was unspoilt and unaltered. It resided in perfect harmony with the countryside and village. He described it as looking as if it had, “grown up out of the soil,” with “quaint garrets amongst great timbers of the roof where of old times the tillers and herdsmen slept.”

Merton Abbey

Strawberry Thief marked the first time he perfected the Indigo- Discharge method of printing. An ancient technique that was a painstaking way to print but achieved unparalleled beauty and intricacies within the design. The printing took him years to perfect. Starting in 1875 and achieving his goal in 1881 after moving into Merton Abbey Mills near Wimbledon. It was in May of 1883 Morris wrote to his daughter, ” was a great deal at Merton last week … anxiously superintending the first printing of the Strawberry thief, which I think we shall manage this time.”

At the time, Strawberry Thief had a high price tag. This was due to the expensive cotton and the fact it took days to print. Despite this, it was one of Morris’s company, Morris & Co.’s most commercially successful patterns.

We print the design in both Red Strawberry Thief and Blue Strawberry Thief colour way in a range of products. So take a look if you love this design as much as we do!

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Bringing timeless elegance to the kitchen with our William Morris Strawberry Thief red oven glove and matching tea towel 🍓🕊️ The perfect blend of beauty and function—who said everyday essentials can’t be art? 🫶🏻
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🎉 GIVEAWAY TIME! 🎉
Win 2 meters of the stunning William Morris “Daisy” fabric – perfect for your next sewing or home décor project! 🌼✨
To enter:
1️⃣ Like this post
2️⃣ Follow us
3️⃣ Tag a friend who loves fabric as much as you do!

📅 Winner announced 1st July
Good luck! 💛🌼
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50% off Daisy heavyweight and cotton fabric?! 🌼 Oopsy Daisy we printed too much, so there’s now 50% off this incredibly beautiful William Morris design- what are you waiting for! 🫶🏻 This was the first design William Morris ever produced so it remains an incredibly special one, and such a timeless design, it’s perfect for quilting and crafting, the heavyweight is brilliant for light upholstery and curtain making! 🌿 Heavyweight is now £4 for half a meter and cotton is £3.50 for half a meter 🤯
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✨ Timeless beauty for your kitchen ✨
Our Pimpernel Green tea towel and oven glove bring the iconic elegance of William Morris into your everyday. Perfect for adding a touch of Arts & Crafts charm to your home 🌿

Available now in our shop!
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If you had to guess our favourite colour combo? 🫶🏻 Beautiful Brother Rabbits on the table today along with some stunning blue and white blooms 🤍
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What have you made with bias binding? 🌿 Perfect for crafting, we’ve got some amazing sales on our 50m bias binding rolls in Red Strawberry Thief, Lily and Trellis have 80% off, a 50m roll for £25- what would you make? 🪡🧵
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Which is your fave; Strawberry Thief red or blue? 🫶🏻 
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A gorgeous Strawberry Thief tablescape - because why not make everyday things just that little bit prettier? 🥰 Is Strawberry Thief blue or red your fave? 🫶🏻
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Beautiful blooms wrapped in timeless William Morris beauty 🌸✨
This William Morris floral Mallow Wine is so gorgeous and one of our faves year round 🫶🏻
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Totally obsessed with these dreamy William Morris florals 🌸🪡
Perfect for sewing projects, cushions, curtains – you name it. Classic prints that never go out of style!
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Every Laura’s Beau team member has a William Morris napkin on hand at all time; even on the beach apparently 😂 Dreaming of beach days in Cornwall a few weeks ago ⛱️
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A little William Morris floral magic hanging over the cooker today 🫶🏻 can you name this Morris design? 🤎
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Spending Friday eve arranging some fresh blooms round the house ready for bank holiday weekend 🥰 Remember our 15% discount is still running on our website, use code: SPRINGBLOOMS 🫶🏻
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Cut some fresh blooms out of the garden today so we can have them decorate our table 🌷 We 🫶🏻 you beautiful Golden Lily 🌿
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Always one of our favourites, our Willow Bough blue tablecloth brings the beauty of William Morris into the home, remember our whole website is 15% off this week! Use code: springblooms 🌿
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Making everything in life its own little event, even a coffee and a cake 🫶🏻 Featuring our Strawberry Thief red William Morris design napkin and placemat 🍓
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#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #strawberrythief #lifesmoments #atthekitchentable #smallmomentsofcalm
The easiest napkin fold is so effective 🫶🏻 Next to a dinner plate or placed on the plate with a cake fork, it’s perfect for easy yet chic presentation 🍴
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Our William Morris Lily design is back in stock! 🤍 A gorgeous design especially this spring/ summer it’s a timeless design we adore year after year 🌿
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