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Witching you a Happy Halloween!

31st October 2020

Happy Halloween everyone! We think we’ve had more than enough tricks this year, so how about a treat? Enter code: HALLOWEEN at checkout on our website until 15th November for 20% off everything on our website. Eat your Halloween sweets (that you may or may not have bought for yourself) and enjoy a browse through our collection of William Morris designs.

Halloween is a funny one isn’t it. It’s become much more popular here in England over the last few years. Largely influenced by our American friends and brought over to the UK, we now have haunted houses galore. They may not be open this year and things might be a little different in the celebrations, but at this point in 2020, we’d probably find ourselves celebrating the opening of a paper bag! So off we go to the drive in cinema where we’re going to see “IT,” scared of clowns as we are…

Why is Halloween celebrated?

To celebrate, we need to know what we’re celebrating don’t we. All Hallows Eve is celebrated every October 31st and dates back to age-old European traditions. It can be traced back to an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain. Samhain was a celebration of the ending of the harvest and the start of a new year. Also a time of honouring spirits, bonfires lit to honour the dead. Within the night of honouring and remembering those that had passed, the Celts believed it was easier for priests to predict the future. According to History, they’d build bonfires and burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic gods.

Pope Gregory III deemed November 1st as “All Saints Day” in the 8th Century, the night before became known as All Hallows Eve, shortened later to Halloween. It’s expected during the night ancestors might cross over from the afterworld during that time so Celts would dress as animals and monsters so fairies were not tempted to kidnap them.

Traditions

It’s funny to see how some of our traditions and superstitions today are rooted in history without us realising. We think of bats in relation to Halloween, and it’s true of the Celts too. They lit the bonfires which attracted bugs – which in turn attracted bats.

In Old England and Ireland, the traditions continued to associate the night with the dead crossing over to this world from the afterlife. They set out food to please these spirits. As the years went on, people began to wear scary costumes in return for treats. It was then called “mumming” but of course today we know this as “trick-or-treat.”

A socially distanced Halloween

In 2020, Halloween might be a little different than previous years. As we said, we’re going to a drive through Halloween cinema in York in our respective households. Following the social distancing guidelines is easier in cars! There’s also a few pumpkin patches which are open over the Halloween period which we might pay a visit to so we can have a carving competition! Our favourite is at Farmer Copleys where this photo was taken…

We hope you have a spooky Halloween – is anyone with us on Christmas planning beginning November 1st….? Keep up with our Christmas plans on our Instagram!

 

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Our gorgeous “Dot” design 🤍 We have a French archive which dates from the late 1800s- early 1900s which Dot was in, we digitally restored it and recoloured it to be this beautiful sage green, it is perfect for quilting and crafting in fat quarters ✨
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#floralprint #floraldesign #fatquarter #quiltingfabric #quiltingdesigns
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
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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