May Morris Designs

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.

• 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.

"This carefully conceived book is an important addition to the existing literature on May Morris, illuminating her further by looking in depth at May's creative approach to decorative needlework while showcasing the designs held by the Ashmolean Museum." - DAS