24th June 2018
If you’ve read our last two blogs on our California road trip (if not read part one and part two here) or been following our Instagram, you’ll know we spent some time this Summer over in America and visited Yosemite. It’s a place we’ve always wanted to go and even though we’ve seen it many times on films and in photos, we never imagined it would be as incredible in real life – the scale of everything, from the flowing waterfalls and rivers to the mountains so big you find yourself constant tipping your head all the way back to see the top. We know we only touched on our visit in our last blog so wanted to dedicate a little more time to telling you more about Yosemite Valley and our favourite spots!
Yosemite is packed full of plants, in fact, of California’s 7,000 species, half of these occur in the Sierra Nevada and in Yosemite itself, more than an incredible 20% with at least 160 rare plants within the park. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was actually uplifted and then consequently titled which worked to form the gentle western slopes and dramatic steep eastern slopes. It was at the same time the uplift caused an increase of steepness of the river and stream beds; this today has resulted in the formation of deep yet narrow canyons. Around one million years ago, there was an accumulation of snow and ice which actually formed glaciers on the higher alpine meadows when then moved down to the river valleys (the ice thickness at one point has been estimated to have reached 1,200m!) It was this downward movement of the ice that cut through the valley and shaped it into the u shaped valley that we visit today – it’s interesting to know how the areas we visited were formed and when you’re there, it’s so hard to comprehend the scale of Yosemite and how it could possibly be real and in front of you, so knowing how it formed is fantastic to learn!
As we drove and walked around, we looked out for the brown bears that are notorious with the area – half wanting to see one and half very much not! All together, the park’s varied habitats support around 250 species of vertebrates and allows them to flourish and survive; this number includes fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and also mammals. There’s quite a few species within the park that within our knowledge have become extinct, though are now making a come back after human intervention; these include the brown bear, California condor and least Bell’s Vireo (a small songbird.) Another 37 species are currently under special status either under federal or California endangered species legislation. The reasons for their endangered status is several fold; the wildlife is in danger of wild fires which are natural but deadly to wildlife and animals, air pollution, habitat fragmentation and also climate change. Yosemite have also seen the issue of road kill as more and more tourists flood into the park and also the fact human food causes animals to move closer to the humans – once this happens, if aggressive behaviour occurs, heart breakingly, they sometimes have to be put down due to their threat to human life. To combat this, over recent years, Yosemite have really been pushing back on humans involvement with the bears in particular – there are signs throughout informing humans not to leave food visible in cars – apparently bears can smell and see it and break into cars, all food must be put into bear proof rubbish bins and there are signs throughout requesting for drivers to slow down and be aware of wild life on the roads. It’s the animals homes, so if you do visit, just be aware of the rules – we hate to think that the beautiful creatures could be hurt because of us wanting to visit their valley!
Whilst there, we particularly loved the waterfalls that naturally have formed to cascade down the rock. There’s not many places you can see such high falls like these, famous for the number of waterfalls in the relatively small area. The waterfalls are formed due to the sheer drops, glacial steps and hanging valleys and they’re particularly strong in April-June in the snow melting season. The Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in North America and Ribbon Falls has the highest single vertical drop.
If you get the chance to visit, it’s definitely worth the drive! As you can see from all our photos, we really enjoyed our trip and seeing all the different aspects of the park; from the waterfalls and river to the vistas and wildlife.
SaveSave
Posted in News by Laura
Is it just us or does anyone else come across an old photo and get upset that the cake is now gone? 🍰
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #strawberrythief #fabrics #teatowel #preraphaelite #emmabridgewater
Lay the table with us for Easter dinner 🐰 These rabbit napkin folds are so simple yet effective, will you give them a go this weekend? 🐣
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #floraltable #napkinfold #napkinfolding #napkinfoldingideas #brotherrabbit #easternapkin
Us 🤝 simple napkin folding 🎀
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #fabrics #williammorrisfabricdesign #design #afternoontea #daisy #preraphaelite
A really simple napkin fold for your Easter table! 🐣 We used a napkin ring but you could use ribbon or twine, whatever you’ve got! 🐰
Just fold the napkin into a triangle and roll up from the point until you can fold it in half to make the ears 🐇 You could put a little creme egg in there as an extra treat 🤎
•
•
•
#napkinart #napkinfolding #napkinfolding #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #eastertable #eastertablescape #fabrics #easter2025🐰🐥☀️🍹
Hopping into Easter week with a fab 10% off our website, just use code: EASTER on our website 🐣
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisprint #morris #willowbough #floraldesign #florals #easternapkin #eastertable #eastertablescape
Have you seen our new remnants and bundle section on our website? 🪡 Perfect for quilting, sewing and crafting, they’re all in varying sizes and we’ll keep it constantly updated 🧵
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #crafting #fabriccrafts #quilter #quiltersgonnaquilt #quiltlife #sewsewsew #sewersgonnasew #fabricremnants
Layering florals on florals this Spring 🪻🌷
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #morris #fabric #fabricaddict #pimpernel #floraldesigns #spring #springtable
The start of the Easter tablescapes this weekend 🐣 We cant resist a little rabbit napkin, so easy and so effective we can post a reel on how to do the napkin fold! 🐰 This is our pvc fabric in William Morris Brother Rabbit red which is perfect for on the table as it simply wipes clean so isn’t an issue for any spills 🧼
We know that seasonal tablescapes whilst looking amazing can often seem really expensive on Instagram so we wanted to prove that with a simple napkin fold and a few little inexpensive decor bits it can be wonderfully seasonal yet affordable and used every year - the carrots are from @poundland and the cute little sheep are from @sainsburys 🐑
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #floraldesign #pvcfabric #pvctablecloth #eastertable #eastertablescape #eastertablesetting #easter2015
A gorgeous spring day today spent in the garden, anyone else unable to spend a day without a pot of mini eggs nearby? 🐣 Our pvc fabric is perfect for garden tables, a simple wipe clean and it’s ready for outdoor meals - just make sure to not leave it outside in the rain! ☔️☀️ On the table today is our William Morris Compton pvc, a year- round fave of ours 🤎
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #compton #springgarden #springgardening #springtime #springsunshine☀️ #labrador #englishlab #lablife #magnolia #magnoliatree #magnoliatreesinbloom🌸🌸🌸
Spring has truly sprung this week and we’re looking forward to Easter 🐣 Our William Morris Daisy was looking gorgeous on the table with a little Easter treat 🐰
•
•
•
#napkinart #easteregg #easterdecor #williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #floralfabric #printedintheuk #preraphaelite #artandcraftsmovement
One of the crafters among us couldn’t help but steal some of our new designs from work to create a gorgeous quilted bag from all our original designs to take to Chicago with them on holiday 🤍 For all of us back home in Yorkshire we’re a little jealous seeing all the holiday snaps of the bag round the city! ✨ All these designs are now available on our website 🥰
•
•
•
#quilted #quiltedbag #quiltedbags #quiltersgonnaquilt #quiltlife #sewersofinstagram #sewallthethings #whatimade #whatimadetoday #chicago #blossomtree #smallbusiness #ukbusiness #patchwork #patchworkbag
It’s back in stock!! 🍓 Our cotton Strawberry Thief blue licensed William Morris design is now back in stock - and digitally printed 🌿 We hope you can tell how crisp the design is from this video, the details within the design are so clear in the digital print which is fabulous becuase there’s so many beautiful details within all Morris designs 🎨
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #fabric #florals #floraldesign #fabrics #strawberythief #quiltingfabric #quiltingdesigns #backinstock
The colours of Compton 😍 did you know some of our designs are now digitally printed? 🤎 digital print gives top quality printing design with a really crisp finish that brings to life the whole design and its details, of course, we’re still printing in the UK 🇬🇧
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #smallbusiness #floralfabric #quiltingfabric #florals #curtainfabric #upholsteryfabric #ukcrafters
Pack an order with us of our new quilting fabrics 🌿 These are all our exclusive designs that are now available on our website, and each beautiful design has been faithfully resorted from our French archive, we wonder what they’ll be made into 🤍
•
•
•
#quilting #quiltingfabric #fatquarterbundle #fatquarters #sewistofinstagram #sewingmakesmehappy #patchwork #patchworkquilt #smallbusiness #packanorderwithme #packanorderwithme
A tea towel hanging in the kitchen, bringing floral magic easily into the home 🌿 Can you believe William Morris designed Willow Bough in 1887? It’s such a timeless design we love imagining how many people throughout the years have chosen to have it decorating their homes 🤍
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisfabrics #morrisdesignsuk #timelessdesign #fabric #fabricstash #teatowel #teatoweldesign
Use code: birthday for 20% off our entire website 🌿 Includes our fabulous fabric by the half metre, tablewear & kitchenware 🤍
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #williammorrisstrawberrythief #morrisfabric #smallbusiness #quiltingfabric #sewingfabric #curtainfabric #fabric #fabricstash #fabriclove #floralfabric
We’re excited to announce our new range of fabrics, perfect for quilting 🪡 they are all from our exclusive French archive which dates from the late 1800s-early 1900s ⚜️ With a new range we were chatting about what to name each design, so as a female founded and run business, we decided to name them after some important women in our lives 🤍 We’re digitally printing this fabric so it’s amazing quality, but there’s limited stock of each design so let us know which designs you love ☺️
-
-
-
#smallbusiness #digitalprint #smallbizowner #quiltingfabric #quilting #frenchfloralfabric #quiltingfabrics #femalebusiness #sewersgonnasew #sewingaddict #sewingfabric #ukquiltersunited
Waiting patiently for peony season… 🫶🏻
On the table; our William Morris Willow Bough 🌿
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #willowbough #fabric #tablescape #burleighpottery #britishmade #peonyseason
Why wouldn’t we celebrate William Morris’ birthday with one of our biggest sales of the year! Hurry, it’s tonight and tomorrow only, take 20% off everything on our website with code; BIRTHDAY 🌿
Born on this day in 1834, William Morris was an incredible talent. His designs are as timeless and popular today as ever, so long after they were designed 🎨 He also was a poet, writer and socialist activist who was involved in the arts and crafts movement and worked hard to keep traditional British textiles, he opened his own mill, Merton Abbey Mills 🌿 there’s so many interesting aspects of his life that he seemed to live many lives at once, when you’re that talented it must be hard to pick just one passion! 🌿 Happy Birthday William, thank you for all the stunning designs we print here in the UK just as he was passionate about all those years ago! 🇬🇧
•
•
•
#onthis #onthisday #williammorris #morris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #artsandcraftsmovement #preraphaelites #fatquarters
Happy first day of Spring 🌷what’s your favourite thing about spring? 🌱 Ours is of course all the stunning flowers blooming all around us 🪴 To get 15% off our website to bring some florals indoors, use code; SPRING at checkout on our website 🤍
•
•
•
#williammorris #williammorrisfabric #williammorrisdesign #morrisdesign #williammorriscollection #spring #springflorals #springflowers #flowerarrangement #flowerarranging