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1st June 2016
On the 17th May, 1871, William Morris wrote to C.J. Faulkner, “I have been looking for a house for the wife and kids, and whither do you think my eye is turned now? Kelmscott, a little village about two miles above Radcot Bridge- a heaven on earth; an old stone Elizabethan house like Water Eaton, and such a garden! close down on the river, a boat house and all things handy. I am going down there again with Rossetti and my wife: Rossetti because he thinks of sharing it with us if the thing looks likely…”
The house and it’s contents were preserved after his death on the 3rd October 1896 by his younger daughter May, before being passed to the Society of Antiquaries. Today we turn our attention to Morris’ bedroom, immediately upon walking into the room, you’ll see the walls adorned with his ‘Lily’ design. Lily was first produced in 1883, although it is called ‘Lily,’ it actually contains bunches of wild flowers including bluebells and daisies. “A return to the simple ‘powdered’ pattern of Daisy: that is, the leading lines are not followed continuously by the motifs used in the pattern, but are only traced out in the form of dots or ‘powderings.'” (William Morris Wallpapers and Chintzes, Fiona Clark.)
The main feature in the bedroom is Morris’s early seventeenth century oak four-poster bed, pictured above from a visit we took to Kelmscott Manor. From 1891, the bed was decorated with embroidered hangings, which you can see, are the most striking feature. “In wools on natural coloured linen, they are beautiful examples of their kind and in remarkably fresh condition. The valance displays displays Morris’s poem ‘for the bed at Kelmscott’, composed in 1891, embroidered by May Morris, helped, it is said, by Lily, sister of W.B. Yeats. The bed curtains too are by May.” (Kelmscott Manor, The Society Of Antiquaries of London, 2004)
The bed curtains background pattern is based on Trellis which was produced in 1864, Philip Webb having drawn the birds within the design. “The bed spread with its naturalistic bouquets, delicate colouring and quotation from Morris’s poem ‘A Garden by the Sea’ from the Life and Death of Jason (1867) was embroidered by Jane, who signed it ‘Si je puis. Jane Morris. Kelmscott.'” (Kelmscott Manor.)
One of our licensed designs is the same Lily design as in his bedroom. We have always considered it one of his most loved designs for it to be in a room so personal to him. The tones and colouring within the design are so beautiful, they’re perfect for this time of year as spring slowly transitions into summer. The light green with the wildflowers are reminicent of a summers day, and are sure to brighten up your home! A top tip for during the summer is to purchase some of our PVC fabric which is sold by the half metre- if you’re having an outside BBQ or picnic, it’s great to pull the fabric out of the packet and place it straight onto the table; with the PVC fabric not fraying, it’s a perfect made-to-measure tablecloth that will wipe clean!
Posted in Lily by Laura
Halloween but make it chic ✨ We love that our William Morris tablecloths can be dressed for every season, one purchase styled various ways year round 🌱☀️🍂❄️
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#strawberrythief #williammorris #williammorrisdesign #halloween #autumntablescape
Happy Halloween! 🎃 Use code; TREAT on our website for the last day of 15% off 👻 Don’t these colours just work together beautifully, our licensed William Morris Mallow Forest Green was a new colour way we brought out last Christmas, and we’ve used all year round it’s the perfect green ✨
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#williammorris #wmorris #williammorrisdesign #floraldesigns #autumntable
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
Autumn is in full swing at ours 🍂
We’ve brought the season indoors with blackberries, rosehips and the last of the hydrangeas, set against our Strawberry Thief fabric. This licensed William Morris design is digitally printed and manufactured in the UK 🇬🇧
Those cheeky little thrushes look right at home among the berries! 🐦🍓
Shop via the link in bio 💛 Three sizes of tablecloth available - 147cm round, 132 x 178cm and 132 x 229cm ☺️. #strawberrythief #williammorris #autumntablescape #madeinuk #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
Setting up for an evening of crafting ✂️ These 20cm x 20cm squares we sell as bundles of 5 fabric pieces, they’re perfect for smaller crafts, what would you make from them? 🪡🧵
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#crafting #girlscraftnight #craftnight #fabricstash #williammorris
Cosy Sunday season is here 🕯️ anyone else constantly got a candle burning and a grazing board on the table at the moment? 🎃
On the table, we’ve got our beautiful Mallow Wine licensed William Morris design, a staple year round but especially this time of year 🤍
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#williammorris #williammorrisdesign #onthetable #tablescape #florals
October is for treating ourselves all month right? 👻 On the table is our gorgeous William Morris licensed Mallow Wine design, this time of year it’s rarely off the table! 🤍
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#williammorris #autumntable #autumntablescape #countrykitchen #wmorris
A fabulous way to display your best new tea towel; a tea towel bow 🎀 I’ve been doing these a lot lately, but I’m so excited for how festive they’ll look for the coming season! ✨
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#williammorris #wmorris #strawberrythief #smallbusiness #countrykitchen
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
Autumn gardens are upon us! 🍂 anyone else just constantly brushing up leaves? 🙆🏽♀️ These Compton William Morris tea towels are our favourites this time of year, the digital print on them is so crisp 👌🏼
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#williammorris #compton #cottagekitchen #farmhousekitchen #autumngarden
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
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