May Morris: 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 an independent textile historian and practitioner specializing in needlework from the 16th to the early 20th centuries, and her primary area of research is art embroidery for the domestic interior, c. 1860-1914. She is regularly invited to give lectures to museums, historic houses, tour groups and societies connected with textiles and the decorative arts in the UK, Ireland and North America, and has organized textile conferences and symposia on behalf of the Textile Society, Ashmolean Museum, and other bodies.