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William Morris’ Visit to Iceland Part 3

12th September 2014

In July 1871 William Morris took a journey to Iceland, at the time a huge journey. The journey was one of adventure, but partly the journeys purpose was escapism. Morris’s marriage was breaking down at home, his wife of 13 years Jane Burden was having an affair with Dante Gabriel Rossetti- his best friend at the time. He left his wife and Rossetti in his martial home Kelmscott Manor, and embarked on his journey to Iceland. It was this journey that he wrote the poem, “Iceland First Seen” which we wish to share with you in a six part Friday series to celebrate the incredible writer Morris was, showcasing his many talents- from poetry to design, his creative side seems to have known no bounds!

This is part 3 of his poem- please look out for more in this series to celebrate Morris’ writing!

sea

“O land, as some cave by the sea where the treasures of old have been laid,
The sword it may be of a king whose name was the turning of fight;
Or the staff of some wise of the world that many things made and unmade,
Or the ring of a woman maybe whose woe is grown wealth and delight.
No wheat and no wine grows above it, no orchard for blossom and shade; 
The few ships that sail by its blackness but deem it the mouth of a grave;
Yet sure when the world shall awaken, this too shall be mighty to save.”

– William Morris

green

Photos published by kind permission of Catherine Gallagher and Robert Askew (copyright 2013)

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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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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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Florals florals florals ✨ These are our exclusive range of designs that we’ve restored from our French archive that dates from the late 1800s- early 1900s, would you like a sneak peak at our archive? There’s still lots of gorgeous designs in there ready to shine again! 🫶🏻
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Cut this gorgeous fat quarter bundle today ✂️ Can you name all the gorgeous William Morris designs? ✨
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Did you know all our William Morris designs are licensed William Morris designs that we digitally print and manufacture in the UK 🇬🇧
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Cut this gorgeous fabric stack today- can anyone name these iconic William Morris designs? ✨
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Our fabric patchwork bundles, fabric bundles and remnants have been restocked on our website now! 🤎 With only a few available, hurry to get the designs you want, the bundles are great for smaller sewing and quilting bundles, what will you create? 🪡🧵 
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