Beth Russell's William Morris Needlepoint [Hardcover]

Beth Russell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 1995

Popular British needlework designer Beth Russsell presents--for the first time--20 needlepoint designs based on the original works of William Morris. With the help of beautiful photographs, the book reflects Morris's passion for the pre-industrial world as it evolved through the three stages of Morris's artistic development. 80 4-color photographs.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Morris's exquisite design work--widely appreciated and found in many museums--is generally beyond the reach of the general public. But if you've ever longed for a Morris chair or tapestry, this book offers the next best thing--Morris's designs adapted to needlepoint, each superbly charted and accompanied by beautiful photos of the finished product. Although the information on basic techniques is well presented, these are intricate designs best attempted by those with some needlepoint experience. The designs are so luscious, however, that even beginners may be inspired to practice in order to create these lovely pieces.

From the Inside Flap

Popular British needlework designer Beth Russsell presents--for the first time--20 needlepoint designs based on the original works of William Morris. With the help of beautiful photographs, the book reflects Morris's passion for the pre-industrial world as it evolved through the three stages of Morris's artistic development. 80 4-color photographs.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Crown (October 17, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517701669
• ISBN-13: 978-0517701669
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #343,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational book of needlepoint renditions of Morris' work, July 16, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Beth Russell's William Morris Needlepoint (Hardcover)

William Morris is well-known for his intricate designs and wonderful harmonies. He was also a dedicated designer for needlework of many types. In Beth Russell, Morris has found a faithful and dedicated translator of his work for today's stitchers. This book is full of wonderful designs and charts which allow you to create Morris designs for yourself. From the wonderful, enormous Raven tapestry, to the simple fruit pillows, this book is a treasure to dream over or stitch from

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really beautiful, detailed needlepoint, June 7, 2000

By 

drdebs (CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beth Russell's William Morris Needlepoint (Hardcover)

I got hooked on Needlepoint books once I discovered it was much cheaper to buy your own wools and canvases. Not to mention you don't have to try and figure out where all the printed lines REALLY belong!

First let me say that Beth Russell is not necessarily the place for beginners to start. The designs are detailed, and the charts are detailed, and the canvas is usually smaller than, say, Elizabeth Bradley. For those needlepointers with some experience, however, you will enjoy the challenge of translating these beautiful Morris-inspired designs into art for your home.

Some of the best I've done include the Morris Lion (a wonderful medieval-looking lion with an ornate tapestry background), the orange pillow (on the cover), and the woodpecker tapestry

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous designs: Occasionally difficult charts, July 2, 2004

By 

Gail Martin (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beth Russell's William Morris Needlepoint (Hardcover)

I'll start by saying that I LOVE Beth Russell's interpretations of Arts and Crafts designs in this book as well as her other two. She's chosen wonderful motifs and arranged them into lovely, unique needlepoint projects. I speak from experience, as I'm now working on my third project from her books, the orange border design shown on the cover of this volume, worked on large canvas to make a rug. I highly recommend all three books for lovers of needlepoint, other charted needlework, arts and crafts design, or William Morris.

This book is beautifully laid out and lovely to page through and read, but its loveliness is one of its downfalls: The charts are printed in full color, without utilizing symbols to indicate yarn colors. Although this choice makes the charts pleasant to look at, the subtle differences between yarn colors are sometimes very hard to see in the charts, making working from them difficult. I spent too much time squinting at the latest chart, making little pencil dots on it to differentiate between LIGHT grey green and MEDIUM-LIGHT grey green!

I'll be proud of the resulting product, and will forgive Russell's editorial choice. Do consider buying this book, but be prepared for some challenges in using it.