May Morris Designs: The Essence and Soul of Beautiful Embroidery

The art embroidery of May Morris, daughter of the Arts & Crafts master William Morris, with important information on patterns and techniques for high level embroiderers.

May Morris (1862–1938) is recognised today as a pioneer of the Arts and Crafts movement, a leading exponent of decorative needlework and a campaigner for women artists. Despite being one of the foremost practitioners of her generation, it was design that May described as ‘the very soul and essence of beautiful embroidery’. One of the largest collections of May’s designs, from roughly sketched ideas to finished patterns, is held by the Ashmolean Museum. This book showcases a selection of 25 of these designs, which are published here for the first time, positioning May’s output within the artistic developments of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as well as equipping embroiderers with the tools to create their own projects based on the work of this remarkable needlewoman.

Lynn Hulse is a textile scholar and practitioner, specialising in embroidered furnishings of the Aesthetic and Arts and Crafts movements. She is the author of several publications on decorative needlework and editor of May Morris: Art & Life (2017). Formerly archivist at the Royal School of Needlework, Lynn now runs Ornamental Embroidery which delivers workshops, lectures and first-hand study sessions of objects in public and private collections, including the Ashmolean Museum.