Back in August, I bought a copy of May Morris Designs: The Essence and Soul of Beautiful Embroidery by Lynn Hulse, published by the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford.
Of course, my intention was to review it for you pretty quickly.
But Did I?!? Nooooo.
Last week, I heard from Lynn, which prompted me to make a concerted effort to finish reading the book, so that I could write a thorough review.
But Have I finished it? Noooo.
And yet here I am, telling you about a book that I haven’t finished reading yet. But look, I’m more than halfway there! I Just don’t like to rush through this kind of book!
If you’re a fan of Morris and the era and you didn’t know this book is available, now you’ll know, and you can add it to your library.
Why would you want to add this particular book about May Morris’s work to your library? Well, numerous reasons – but I’ll quickly highlight the reasons that I think are most compelling.
First, though, about the author: Dr. Lynn Hulse is a former archivist for the RSN, a Visiting Research Fellow at the V&A, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She’s both a textile scholar and a practitioner, so she doesn’t just talk theory, historical context, or scholarly hypotheses – she knows what she’s talking about when it comes to actual techniques and how stitchy things were / are done.
This latter point is important – it plays a significant role in this book. And it’s one of the main reasons why you’ll want this particular book on your shelf.
In the book May Morris Designs, you’ll learn much about May Morris and her work, as well as the era in which she lived, the influences that guided her, and the ideals that formed her artistic approach.
You’ll also learn about the materials she worked with, the stitches she used, colors and patterns, and all kinds of practical points.
Throughout the book, you’ll have the opportunity to explore May Morris’s design process.
You’ll see many of May Morris’s embroidered works – works that you’ll likely never get a chance to see, unless you happen to high-ho-hither yourself over to Oxford and immerse yourself in the archives of the Ashmolean (if you can) or track down the pieces held in private collections.
So, yes. Not likely to see otherwise, for the likes of thee and me!
You’ll learn about the materials and stitches used on particular pieces, and you’ll even learn some history behind many of the techniques widely employed at that time. For example, you’ll find out why chain stitch wasn’t heavy contender in the stitch repertoires of the Arts & Crafts and Art Needlework embroiderers.
I love little delectable morsels of stitch history!
You’ll delight in many close-up photos of embroidery from the era. These provide good insight into techniques employed and their execution and outcome.
There is a lot to learn about the embroidery and design that came out of this era of needlework – it really was a revival era for the art of embroidery – and the book is wondrously packed with all kinds of good and interesting historical content.
But…
There’s an even greater reason that I think this book will be universally appreciated, even by folks who aren’t so into the nitty-gritty of needlework history during the particularly Morris-ish eras.
The book’s not called May Morris Designs for nuthin’, after all!
Guess what the book ends with?
Oh yes… a very generous collection of May Morris designs, in clear line drawings, ready for you and me – and any May Morris wannabe – to interpret and embroider as we see fit.
In this part of the book, you’ll find an image of the original design source material, coupled with a beautifully, clearly, and meticulously rendered line drawing of that design.
In other words, the work’s been done for us. The designs have been extracted, presented on a silver platter, ready to go!
What embroiderer doesn’t love a good design sourcebook? They’re what our embroidery daydreams are made of! Your Next Project that you daydream about while you’re finishing your current project! That Magnum Opus that you’ve wanted to stitch since you first fell in love with that particular style! You know how it is!
And while I love gleaning all the historical bits of interest from the book, and while I love reading particularly about this era of needlework history, and while I enjoy Lynn’s accessible writing style, and while I vastly appreciate the details on materials, stitch choices, color, and so forth, I have to be honest…
I COVET EMBROIDERY DESIGNS!
And so, yes, I love this book.
And if you’re like me, you will likely love it, too.
Where to Find It
Well, if you’re in the States and you’re not flitting yourself over to the UK any time soon (boo hoo), like me, you’ll probably have to settle for Amazon, which is where the publisher has listed it for the wider artistic and stitching world. You’ll find it listed here on my Needlework Books Recommendation Page.
If you’re not in the US, search your favorite book supplier!
Of course, you can also order it through the Ashmolean’s shop on their website. Keep in mind, if you’re in the US, you’ll pay currency exchange rates, astronomical shipping from the UK, plus import duties. But if you’re in the UK, shipping would likely work out ok for you – or you could always just hop on over to Oxford and grab a copy!
This article contains an affiliate link to my Amazon recommendations page. This means that purchases made through that link may result in a small commission for Needle ‘n Thread at no extra cost to you. Thanks!
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