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Full Description
May Morris (1862-1938) was a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement and a key exponent of decorative needlework (or art embroidery). Following the critically acclaimed exhibition at the William Morris Gallery in 2017, research into her life and work has mushroomed, bringing her out of her father's shadow. Inspiring designers and practitioners today, May Morris's work is much sought after by those keen to acquire a deeper understanding of her creative process and that of her contemporaries. May Morris described design as 'the very essence and soul of beautiful embroidery', and ranked it chief among the four elements that make a work truly 'artistic'. The Ashmolean holds one of the largest repositories of her designs, though few of these have appeared in print or been added to the Museum's online collections. Drawing on the Ashmolean archive, this book aims to make the designs more widely accessible to embroiderers, not only equipping them with the tools to create their own projects based on May Morris's working methods, but also providing them with the historical context to place their work and practice in the continuum of decorative needlework.
Contents
Part One will consist of an essay on May Morris' contribution to the revival of decorative needlework. • Tracing its roots back to the artistic developments of the 1830s, the introduction will begin by examining the influence of Gothic Revival and Design Reform; the Victorian obsession with Berlin work versus the renewed appreciation for the technical mastery and artistic expression found in the work of medieval embroiderers; the impact of the South Kensington Museum; and the revival of interest in the decorative arts of the Middle East, India and the Far East through the advent of international expositions. • Next, it will explore the four constituent elements of art embroidery with reference to the work of designers and practitioners of the later 19th century, i.e. design based on an awareness of the intellectual quality of medieval ornament; the selection and arrangement of colours; the choice of suitable materials; and the vocabulary of stitch. • Finally, the introduction will discuss May Morris's approach to creating decorative needlework on behalf of Morris & Co. and in her own practice with reference to her published writings, lecture notes and extant embroideries.
Part Two: Selection of around 30 designs from the Ashmolean collection. • Each design will include a 100-250-word entry on its historical context plus an image of the original pattern and a new outline drawing for embroiderers to transfer. • Instructions will be included for stitching 4 or 5 of the designs in order to demonstrate how they might have been worked by May Morris. • For each new outline drawing, this book will also provide a link (QR code/website address with persistent identifier) from which the pattern can be downloaded. This will enable the reader to increase the size of the outline drawing to the dimensions required for transferring onto the fabric ground ready for stitching. A digital link will also be provided for the instruction booklets for ease of use.
